There was a time when the concept of ‘All Four Cups’ was considered the holy grail of rugby league, with only three clubs ever achieving the feat of capturing the league championship, county championship, Challenge Cup and county cup in one season.
The abolition of the county leagues and cups in 1970 and 1993 respectively means the records of Hunslet in 1907/08, Huddersfield in 1914/15 and Swinton in 1927/28 will never be matched, but the closest thing in the summer era has proven almost as elusive.
In winning the Betfred Challenge Cup with an 18-8 victory over Warrington Wolves at Wembley on Saturday, Matt Peet’s Wigan Warriors joined Bradford Bulls and St Helens, winners of the treble in 2003 and 2006 respectively before claiming the World Club Challenge the following year, in holding every title available at the same time.
It is a run of success rarely seen for the Cherry and Whites since the heady days of the 1980s and 1990s, and long-serving captain Liam Farrell has not experienced anything on this scale in his 14 years as a first-team player.
“We’ve got legends as players at our club in [assistant coaches] Tommy Leuluai and Sean O’Loughlin – they’ve never done anything like this,” Farrell, who now has 11 major honours to his name, said.
“Then we’ve got players like Brad O’Neill who is 21 and has won everything. I’ve been around a while, and this is a pretty special squad we’ve got here at the moment.
“Obviously we’ve got some very talented players across the whole squad, but we’ve got that blend of youth, talent and experience, and it has all come together. The lads like spending time with each other and a lot of that is down to Matty and his staff.
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Highlights of Wigan Warriors’ victory over NRL champions Penrith Panthers in this year’s World Club Challenge
“The way we approach our training days, we’re intense when we need to be, but we also have a laugh and that’s one of the main reasons we come to work. If we’re not enjoying what we’re doing, we’re not going to be able to perform like we are doing.”
For Wigan’s third-year head coach Peet, it marked the second time he had overseen his hometown team lifting the trophy in rugby league’s oldest and most prestigious knockout competition, with the 2022 triumph in the Challenge Cup having been his first trophy at the helm.
Both Farrell and Lance Todd Trophy winner Bevan French were quick to praise the environment Peet has fostered at the club as key to the continuing success the Warriors are enjoying, although the boss was quick to throw that praise back onto the players.
In particular, injured second-row Willie Isa won plaudits for his pre-final shirt presentation which involved each player talking about their heritage and was reflected at full-time at Wembley with several having the flags of where they were representing draped over their shoulders.
Obviously we’ve got some very talented players across the whole squad, but we’ve got that blend of youth, talent and experience, and it has all come together. The lads like spending time with each other and a lot of that is down to Matty and his staff.
“It was very, very special – I’m sure it brought the lads together digging as deep as they did,” Peet said. “What Willie did there, as leader and a senior player, was incredible.
“I didn’t know a lot about Aboriginal culture, I didn’t know a lot about Cameroon, I didn’t know a lot about Swaziland, and Lebanon.
“When you see 20 flags laid down, it makes you want that player to do well when you understand a bit more of them and I’m sure all of the players were the same.
“It’s amazing when you get a group of men working together and we’ve got quite a diverse team, which is something we celebrate.”
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A look back Wigan Warriors’ route to their first Betfred Super League title since 2018
Attention now turns back to the defence of the Super League title, with 15 matches in the regular season remaining for Wigan and them sitting behind leaders and great rivals St Helens on points difference having played one game fewer.
Peet’s approach will not change, though, with the focus firmly on enjoying every moment they are together and knowing there are potentially even greater achievements ahead of them.
“This group are at their best when they’re playing for one another,” Peet said. “When I see this team play, it’s like ‘How good is this? Make them excited about winning’.
“It’s less about the opposition, more about them; How much fun can we have? How much of a connection can we build?
“This group of players, I think, are motivated by what they can achieve and what memories they can make together.”
Wigan Warriors’ Betfred Super League defence continues away Castleford Tigers on Friday June 14, live on Sky Sports Action (8pm kick-off). Watch every match of the 2024 Super League season live on Sky Sports or stream contract-free with NOW.
