SOMETIMES in sport you need to experience a heavy defeat in order to get where you need to be – and that is what Wigan Warriors have done.
Last October, the Warriors were outclassed in the Grand Final at Old Trafford as they went down 24-6 against Hull KR.
Warriors CEO Kris Radlinski admitted last week the coach journey from Manchester to Wigan after the Grand Final was like the “world had ended”.
Wigan could have been twelve points up in the Grand Final but Liam Farrell and Bevan French both bombed tries, and their missed opportunities were heavily punished by the Robins as they won the Grand Final for the first time.
Radlinski, Matt Peet and the Wigan playing staff were determined not to have that feeling at Wembley, and they made sure they took their chances as they gained a measure of revenge in London.
The Warriors had a different edge to their game in the Challenge Cup Final. It was like they were keen to prove a point that all the silverware that Hull KR won last season was only on loan.
Peet had been accused of mind games in the lead-up to the game after selecting Bevan French in his 21-man squad just twelve weeks after tearing his hamstring in Toulouse.
In the end it proved to be a masterstroke. While Hull KR, the fans and the media were all focusing on French, this allowed 20-year-old Jack Farrimond to quietly go about his preparation for the game without constantly being asked if he could handle the pressure of such a big game.
He answered his critics in fine style with two tries in a man-of-the-match performance that saw him win the Lance Todd Trophy. Saturday was all about Wigan and they never once looked like being beaten.
Peet and the Warriors were also accused of bringing the game into disrepute after he named a very young side in their Super League defeat away at Hull KR the previous week, which saw him rest all but two of the team he finally selected at Wembley.
He is not the first coach to name a weakened team ahead of a big game, and he certainly will not be the last, but the way he has been attacked for making that decision allowed the focus to be taken off his players.
This ensured his players were relaxed and focused as they walked out at Wembley Stadium. From the first kick-off, the Warriors were on the front foot, and they were never going to make the same mistakes they made in the Grand Final.
Five defeats in their last seven Super League matches have seen questions asked about whether or not their recent dominance is over. On the evidence of those 80 minutes against the Robins on Saturday, the demise of Wigan has been greatly exaggerated.
The Warriors have a piece of silverware back in their trophy cabinet, and if they continue to turn up with performances like that in big games, then there might be more silver heading to The Brick Community Stadium.