Abbas Miski: A great honor to be the first Lebanese player to appear in the Grand Final

Wigan winger Abbas Miski is relishing the prospect of making history when he becomes the first Lebanon international to feature in a Super League grand final at Old Trafford on Saturday.

The 28-year-old would have struggled to imagine such a scenario in March when he was loaned to London Broncos and made his only appearance in a heavy defeat at Keighley.

But an injury-forced reshuffle of the Warriors’ ranks saw Miski take advantage of a rare first-team opportunity, and 27 tries and a Players’ Player of the Year trophy later, he was on head coach Matt Peet’s starting sheet.

Miski, who played in all four of his country’s matches at last year’s World Cup, told the PA news agency: “To be the first Lebanese player to play in a major final is a great honour.

“There are a lot of young Lebanese players growing up in Australia and playing in the NRL and I think Lebanon has the potential to continue developing into a great rugby nation.

“It is also big for the game in Lebanon. If people see players like me playing in the Super League and the Grand Final, it gives them someone to look up to and realize that playing at this level is not a pipe dream.”

Miski will emulate fellow Lebanese internationals Hazem El Masri, Robbie Farah, Tim Mannah and Josh Mansour, all of whom have played in previous NRL grand finals in Australia.

Arriving at Wigan from London in 2022, Miski featured sporadically in his initial top-flight campaign but his prospects changed dramatically two weeks into his trip to Cougar Park when Jai Field was ruled out for eight weeks with a hamstring injury.

Peet switched Bevan French on the wing, initially to fill Field’s full-back role, leaving Miski to handle the loose spot – and he immediately responded with two tries on his first appearance against Leigh.

By the end of a campaign that culminated in his side squeaking by in the Lider Lider Shield, Miski topped the try charts on 27, alongside Catalans Dragons rivals Tom Johnstone.

“I learned so much from Bevan when he was on the wing and I think I really benefited from a sustained spell in the team as the previous year was very stop-start,” Miski added.

“Going to London was a conscious decision on my part because I knew I wanted to have more playing time. I could have stayed in the reserves, but I really wanted to be ready to play when I was called up.

“It’s been a great season for me and a great honor to get the players’ award. But I am fully focused on the grand final because we know how much it means to the fans and the club and we are all on the same trajectory to achieve our goals.”

Wigan have been boosted by the return of 21-year-old Ethan Havard to their provisional squad for the grand final after being ruled out with a hamstring injury in July.