“Wigan Warriors are just too good,” claims one pundit as he declares them League Leaders Shield winners

Wigan Warriors avenged their loss on Good Friday as they beat St Helens in the derby to open up a four-point lead at the top of Super League and confirm their status as the best team in the country. For one pundit, though, Matt Peet’s side are “too good” with the League Leaders’ Shield wrapped up.

It wasn’t until the last game of the season that Wigan Warriors secured the League Leaders Shield in 2023, their victory in ‘The Battle of the Borough’ earning them top spot. That win was controversial in itself as well, with Leigh Leopards pushing them all the way and finding it hard to finish.

This season is a different story, with Wigan Warriors four points clear at the top of Super League and a game in hand on all their rivals, while Leigh linger outside the play-offs after an injury-riddled second season back in Super League.

Of course, Wigan’s main rivals are St Helens and Matt Peet’s side avenged their Good Friday loss by beating Saints 16-12 last night in a game that reflected the intensity of the Super League playoffs. Both teams had several players missing and had to resort to square hooks in round holes, with Wigan even playing Liam Farrell to the prostitute, but it was still an absolute epic.

However, it was an epic that Wigan Warriors won and that prompted ex-Wigan star Sam Tomkins to declare the title race over as he effectively handed them the League Leaders Shield with 10 runs of Super League until the end.

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Are Wigan Warriors too good?

Credit: Imago Images

Sam Tomkins won plenty of silverware during his time with Wigan Warriors, but last night, while working for Sky Sports, he anointed this current Wigan side as League Leaders Shield winners.

Responding to the state of the table and what could change between now and the end of the season, Tomkins said bluntly: “It’s going to be a top finish for Wigan, I think.

“I think everyone else is now competing for the other place to have a semi-final at home. 10 games left, they haven’t lost in the last 10. They would have to have a disaster not to win the Leaders Shield now.

“Matty Peet is a smart guy, he won’t dwell on that and I’m sure some of the players will say they have a lot to fight for, which they do, because they want to get into the game. the end of the season with a bang.

“But everyone else is going second now, Wigan are too good.”

They are four points adrift of second-placed Warrington Wolves and six adrift of St Helens (third) and Hull KR (fourth), however, the Robins could leapfrog Warrington if they beat their own derby rivals Hull FC by 25 points or more. today. Meanwhile, Salford (22 points) and Catalans Dragons (20 points) also clash this afternoon, with the race for second place and the crucial semi-final at home behind Wigan.

Have St Helens fans become entitled?

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The pressure has mounted on Paul Wellens in recent weeks with last week’s defeat to Castleford Tigers seeing the players booed off the field. That 8-6 loss came just six weeks after the Red Vee beat Cas 60-4 on the road, highlighting the sudden drop in form.

Much of that is because St Helens have been ravaged by injuries, but over the past 18 months, Wigan Warriors have become the dominant force in Super League and dethroned the Red Vee – something Saints fans cannot accept according to Tomkins.

He explained: “The problem is they are not the Super League champions. Their fans are used to it. They had four years of being the benchmark.

“I’ve said it for years and years, that they’re the benchmark and they’re the best team that everybody follows. Well, that’s not the case anymore, that’s the problem.

“They are still a very good team. They have stars on the field, they have a great coach, we have a beautiful stadium, a good owner. The problem is that they are no longer champions, they are no longer the best team.”

The two rivals will meet again at Magic Weekend in Round 22 on August 17 in what is effectively the rubber match with scores currently 1-1 for 2024.