Quadruple in sight for Wigan after thrashing Leigh to reach Super League Grand Final
The Cherry and Whites face Hull KR next Saturday.
Last updated 6th Oct 2024
Wigan have their eyes set on the quadruple after storming to a 38-0 win over close neighbours Leigh to reach the Super League Grand Final.
Two tries each for Liam Marshall and Sam Walters and one each for Bevan French and Jai Field sealed an Old Trafford showdown against Hull KR next Saturday.
Victory in that match would seal an unprecedented quadruple - adding to the Challenge Cup, League Leaders' Shield and World Club Challenge titles Wigan have already won this year.
The hosts were in full control from the opening minutes, setting up camp in the visitors' half and breaking the deadlock after a moment of magic from French, whose clever kick eluded Lachlan Lam and gave Marshall the chance to break through in the left corner.
As if Leigh were not up against it enough, they looked ragged and indiscipline cost them again on 20 minutes when they coughed up a repeat set deep in their own territory and Walters stretched over for his first, with Keighran's kick raising double figures.
In fact the massed ranks of Leigh fans who contributed to an impressive crowd of just over 20,000 had to wait half an hour for anything to cheer, and when their moment came it almost cost them dear.
Ricky Leutele's sloppy pass towards Zak Hardaker - who would surely have scored - was intercepted by Abbas Miski who was only caught by a galloping Lachlam Lam within 20 yards of the Leigh try-line.
Keighran kicked a subsequent penalty to nudge Wigan further clear and when Leigh failed to punish a rare French error from the re-start, the underdogs' chances of chiselling some sort of foothold prior to the interval were all but extinguished.
Instead Wigan made the game safe either side of the interval, Marshall surging over for his second a couple of minutes before the hooter then Walters easing through a gaping hole in the Leopards' rearguard to also improve his individual tally.
Keighran added a second penalty before French scored Wigan's fifth try with an audacious bit of skill, casually bobbling the ball through the Leigh defence before nipping in between his bewildered opponents to bring up 30 on the increasingly overworked scoreboard.
By the time Field scampered over for Wigan's sixth with less than three minutes left on the clock, the Leigh end was rapidly emptying and the home fans had begun to celebrate their chance to clinch a seventh Super League crown next week.