LIAM MARSHALL says level heads have been the key to Wigan Warriors riding out the tough times during their period of dominance.
While the Challenge Cup and League Leaders’ Shield have been snatched by Hull KR following last season’s clean sweep of trophies, Wigan are looking to win the Super League title for the third year running.
Their play-off challenge begins on Friday night when Leigh Leopards visit The Brick Community Stadium with a Grand Final spot on the line.
Matt Peet’s men didn’t have it all their own way in their title-winning seasons and this one has been no different.
The biggest blip came in June and July when the Warriors lost three in five and needed last-gasp efforts to avoid defeats to strugglers Huddersfield Giants and Castleford Tigers.
But they have recovered well, aided by the returns of key men Bevan French and Luke Thompson, to finish second in the table and now face Leigh on a five-match winning streak.
England winger Marshall said: “We’ve had a few troops back in the last month or so and we’re starting to get the results we’ve been craving.
“We always seem to have that blip in the middle of the season – it’s happened in the last couple of years, so hopefully we’re finding form at the right time.
“We stay together. Matty has always spoken about never getting too high with the highs and never getting too low with the lows, and that’s what we do.
“It usually coincides with injuries and we’ve had some long-term ones which have been a factor, although some of the standards in that period still weren’t good enough for this team.
“We had some direct meetings and honest conversations to iron a few things out. As long as you take lessons from those defeats and come back better, which we have done I feel, sometimes it’s worth having.”