LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 28: Players of Wigan Warriors kneel as they huddle prior to kick off of the Betfred Challenge Cup Final match between Huddersfield Giants and Wigan Warriors at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on May 28, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Wigan Warriors forward suffers lengthy injury blow
Wigan Warriors suffer huge blow in Grand Final
Wigan Warriors have suffered a heartbreaking blow in the Grand Final.
It was also a risk naming forward Ethan Havard on the bench and a bold move from Matt Peet bringing him on in the first half.
He has been out since July with a hamstring injury and minutes into his Grand Final appearance it went.
The 2023 Super League Grand Final sees Wigan Warriors and Catalans Dragons butt heads. The top two after the regular season level on points with one another and Champions St Helens.
Thus, this made for the most apt Grand Final as Wigan chased a sixth Super League title and Catalans Dragons battled to become the first new team since 2004 to lift the Super League trophy.
Their appearance at Old Trafford made history itself as they became only the sixth different team to reach more than on Grand Final after Leeds Rhinos, Warrington Wolves, Bradford Bulls and St Helens as well as their opponents Wigan Warriors.
Thus, it was posed to be a historic Grand Final in which former Wigan star Sam Tomkins was set to play a huge role in what was his final ever game before retirement.
It was clear that we were set for a historic Grand Final in the opening exchanges with some big hits from both sides.
Siosiua Taukeiaho laid down an immediate marker with a big hit on Abbas Miski.
We saw a couple of close calls namely when Tyrone May carved through and kicked ahead for Tom Johnstone.
But the ball ran dead just before Johnstone could reach it or indeed before it bounced back and hit Field.
Then the big moment as Adam Keighran was sin binned. Keighran, who will join Wigan in 2024 to replace Toby King, lifted the man he will replace into a dangerous tackle.
King landed on his shoulder saving him from a red card. But he was still sin binned becoming only the second player to be sin binned in a Grand Final after Tommy Makinson for St Helens against the Dragons in 2021.
The decision came from video referee Chris Kendall and straight after it appeared that Wigan were about to score as Liam Farrell twisted and turned his way through a tackle.
But Sam Tomkins was on hand to deny the try and he repeated the feat again.
Wigan eventually took the lead when Catalans were down a man with a penalty from Mitchell Pearce.
