It looked like Wembley glory would forever stay out of reach for Kelsey Gentles and Bethan Dainton – until Wigan came calling.

AT SOME stage in our lives, we can probably all say we’ve been “late to the party” in some respect.

Whether that’s only watching a huge TV show after seemingly everyone around you has already streamed the entire box set twice, or recording and posting your first TikTok video years after that first became a thing. Or even just having to endure witnessing someone else experience something you have your heart set on, but have never been in a position to achieve.

That feeling of lagging behind or being behind the curve isn’t necessarily always a bad thing, as when you do eventually catch up, it can feel all the sweeter.

And that was certainly the case for two of Wigan’s more senior players as the Warriors won their second successive Challenge Cup trophy at Wembley.

Kelsey Gentles and Bethan Dainton have both been forced to watch on in the past as others have enjoyed that walk up the steps to the Royal Box to lift the silverware above their heads in front of the gathering crowds at the national stadium.

Gentles, who missed the 2023 season after becoming a mum to daughter Maia, had previously won a Grand Final in 2024 with York Valkyrie, as well as the League Leaders’ Shield with Castleford in 2019. But the Challenge Cup had eluded her, losing the 2018 and 2019 finals with the Tigers, and the 2021 final after her switch to York.

Gentles then endured a run of heartbreaking semi-final defeats, losing by two points to Leeds in 2022, before the squad was hit with a sickness bug ahead of the 2024 final-four clash that severely weakened them. While out injured in 2025, Gentles then had to watch on as York again fell at the final hurdle with a four-point defeat to Saints, who had also beaten them with a late drop goal in 2023.

So you could forgive the 27-year-old for perhaps feeling that she and this particular trophy would never meet.

But that has all changed now, and Gentles can finally call herself a Challenge Cup winner.

“I am elated,” said a clearly emotional Gentles after the full-time hooter.

“I can’t believe I have just won a Challenge Cup Final. This is the best feeling in the world, and it feels like all the hard work and sacrifices have been worth it.

“There has definitely been a sigh of relief as well because I’ve been chasing the Challenge Cup for a lot of years, and I’ve finally got it. I have ticked them all off now, but now I want to win some more silverware at this club.

“This feels like home now, and it’s where I want to be for a long time to come.”

Despite being new to that winning feeling at the national stadium, the experience of being at Wembley itself wasn’t an alien concept for the former winger who has made a name for herself in the pack since returning from becoming a mum. 

Since the game moved to Wembley in 2023, Gentles has had a front-row seat as part of the BBC team covering the showpiece. But while you might think that some prior knowledge of what she could expect from the day might have helped, it really didn’t, and in a case of role reversal, Gentles found herself turning to some of Wigan’s youngsters, who had won at the ground 12 months earlier, for reassurance.

She said: “I did think that maybe having experienced Wembley before on final day, even if I wasn’t playing, I might have had some idea of what to expect – but it was totally different to be there as a player.

“When I was there for TV and doing my punditry, I could wake up on the day of the Final, I wasn’t nervous, I could enjoy my morning and just have some breakfast.

“But this year I woke up and couldn’t eat a thing, and just kept thinking ‘Oh my God, I’m playing in a Challenge Cup Final’. I’ve never felt pressure like it.

“Pressure is a privilege though, and I appreciate that privilege one thousand percent.

“Even though I’ve only been at the club for eight or nine months, I feel like the girls all know me so well. I’m usually quite energetic and bring a certain vibe to the group, but I did start to get a little bit nervous and went into my shell a little bit.

“That’s when the younger girls, who were here last year, kicked into gear, and they were telling me that it was fine to be nervous and that nerves are good. They reminded me that we were just going to play a game of rugby, so that helped when it came to handling the occasion. 

“Then, when the game got started, I clicked back into my mode as one of the older heads with experience of playing in some big and important games, and things went back to normal then.

“When you first get to Wembley and take it all in, it does feel a bit overwhelming, but on the field, it felt like business as usual for us.

“We took all the pomp and ceremony out of it and just played our usual game. We stayed really calm, and while it did get a bit scrappy at times, I feel like we produced a polished performance and got the result on the back of it.”

Dainton’s story is slightly different, but comes with the same outcome – finally getting that winner’s medal around her neck after years of watching others do it.

The Wales international was part of the Leeds Rhinos team that lost consecutive finals to St Helens in 2023 and 2024, the first two years the contest was held at Wembley.

“At the back of my mind I was thinking that I’ve been here (Wembley) twice and I’ve lost twice, but a lot of people were saying to me that the third time’s a charm,” said Dainton.

“It worked out that way, but going into it, I tried not to think too much about all that and just treat it like any other game. 

“We knew that if we did what we’d done in the previous rounds, then we could get something out of it. It felt good out there, we had a great energy and everyone worked hard for each other.

“Anytime I did think about winning, I didn’t know how I’d feel or how I’d react when that final hooter went – and when that happened, I just felt every emotion going. I loved seeing how the other girls reacted as well, and how tight we all are as a team. 

“I was ecstatic to actually get the win, and it was unreal to go up to the Royal Box to get the trophy. The other times I’d been up there were to get a second-place medal, which nobody wants.

“So it was just unreal, and I tried to take it all in as much as I could and just enjoy being there with the girls.”

Both Gentles and Dainton joined a largely youthful Warriors squad over the winter, and while they have clearly added experience to the side, they are also enjoying a new lease of life under veteran coach and club legend Denis Betts.

Union convert Dainton made many of her Leeds appearances in the back row, but since her move across the Pennines has found herself in the front row, where she has impressed.

“When I first spoke to Denis, he was really up front and said where he saw me playing – and I really liked that,” added Dainton.

“But we don’t really play as props and the 13, we’re just one middle pack, so the only thing that’s really different is where I am in the scrum and running off the back line. I’d never really done that before, but I don’t mind it now.

“I even moved into the centres for a bit in the final, and that was fine as well because I had a lot of game time in there at Leeds, so I’m happy just to do what works for the team.”

For Gentles, the move has proved to be about far more than simply joining a new club.

“This time last year, I was feeling quite sorry for myself because I felt like I was being handed adversity after adversity, and I wasn’t really catching a break,” added Gentles, who missed most of 2025 with a serious knee injury before making one try-scoring appearance for Huddersfield Giants in the final game of last season.

“I felt like I’d lost my identity; I didn’t really know who I was or where my place was in the game anymore.

“But then I went to Huddersfield, and that reignited my fire. The girls there were fantastic, and they reminded me that I was a rugby league player first and foremost and that I should stick with it.

“Then Denis and Wigan came in for me, and it reminded me even more that this is what I should be doing. He just reminded me of who I was. 

“I’ve got myself out of that hole I was in, I’ve got myself fitter, faster and stronger, and I’m feeling really good.

“When I’m on the field, I’m surrounded by a bunch of girls that just lift me, they make me a better player and person.

“The past is the past, and I’m ready to move on and keep the silverware coming to Wigan.”

First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 522 (July 2026)