BEVAN FRENCH can spend another week or two back on the sidelines satisfied he’s done his bit in Wigan’s Challenge Cup triumph – and proving he can do anything he puts his mind to.
The Warriors’ star Australian halfback returned from a torn hamstring more than a month ahead of schedule at Wembley, coming off the bench with 20 minutes remaining for Lance Todd Trophy winner Jack Farrimond and scoring a try.
“I’ve had them before and had things that didn’t go my way, so this time I knew what I had to focus on,” French said of his accelerated rehab.
“All credit to the physios. All I did was get up and do the work, following their orders.
“There’s always a risk, coming back a lot earlier than expected. If I went down again, it would have been close to (being out for) the season, which is a scary thought.
“I’m probably going to have to be smart about it now. I don’t think playing next week would be the smartest thing to do, so I’ll probably have to be back in rehab for a couple of weeks to tick all those boxes again.”
He was determined to come onto the field despite Farrimond excelling – giving coach Matt Peet a headache when he has both available.
French has played a big role in the youngster’s development and wasn’t surprised by his display – nor the whole team performance, which earned Wigan their first trophy since the 2024 Grand Final, when French was player of the match.
“We’re pretty fortunate to be behind a pack that does a lot of work for us and lays a platform,” he said.
“We have someone like Harry Smith, who manages the game the way he does and puts you exactly where you want to be – I don’t think he gets enough credit.
“People like me and Jack don’t really have to do a lot, we really don’t. We just go out and play footy. If we were in another team, it might not be like that.
“Jack can do what he wants to do, because everything else is made for you. That’s all he’s doing.”