What next for Wigan and Warrington after the Super League Grand Final?

Warrington’s title drought goes on for another year, but will Wigan be vulnerable next season after their triumph?By Gavin Willacy for No Helmets RequiredGritty, nerve-wracking and desperate it might have been but, remove the extraordinary emotional soundtrack, and the Grand Final went pretty much as expected: the in-form favourites saw off the hit-and-miss challengers. Super League’s best autumnal team were crowned champions. Having stopped the stuttering Saints juggernaut a few weeks ago and suffocated Castleford in the semi-final, Wigan made it 10 successive wins by grinding out a victory typical of the Shaun Wane era.Last year Cas discovered it was impossible to be irrepressible every week and it cost them their first ever championship. That fate struck down St Helens too, but at least not on the cruellest of stages that is the Grand Final at Old Trafford. St Helens now have just one title to show for the past decade, in which they have almost always been competitive. In contrast, it was Wane’s 28th trophy as a Wigan employee, their 66th in the 27 years since he made his debut in defeat at Barrow in 1981, aged just 17. Related: Shaun Wane gets perfect parting gift as Wigan beat Warrington in Grand Final Related: Dom Manfredi: from injury and HGVs to driving Wigan’s Grand Final win | Aaron Bower Related: Rugby league: New Zealand end Australia's winning streak Continue readingread full article

Source: TheGuardian

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