2018 season: In stats

After concluding our rewind to the 2018 season on Wigan TV this week, Club Historian Keith Sutch provides all the key stats and facts from the year Shaun Wane had the fairytale ending as the Warriors won the Super League title for the fifth time.

General facts 

  • Shaun Wane was Wigan’s Head Coach 
    • 2018 was Wane’s final year in charge of his hometown club 
    • He is Wigan’s longest serving coach in Super League (six years, eight months, eight days)
    • He was named Super League Coach of the Year
Shaun Wane.
  • Sean O’Loughlin was club captain 
  • Wigan beat Warrington 12-4 at Old Trafford to lift the Super League title for the fifth time and third time against the Wolves
    • Wigan became champions for the 22nd time – a new record for any English team
Super League Champions 2018.
  • On 10th February, Wigan played Hull FC at the WIN Stadium in Wollongong, Australia in the first ever Super League game to be played outside of Europe – the Warriors won 24-10
  • At the Magic Weekend at St James’ Park in Newcastle, Wigan beat Warrington 38-10
  • Wigan won all seven of their Super 8s games – becoming the first ever team to do so 
  • Dom Manfredi returned from two years out with injury (his last appearances was 12th August 2016) to score two tries against Warrington on 14th September – he then went on to get a brace in the Grand Final (he played five games on his return)
  • John Bateman and Sean O’Loughlin were named in the Super League Dream Team
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com – 01/10/2018 – Rugby League – Betfred Super League Dream Team 2018 – Old Trafford – Manchester, England – John Bateman and Sean O’Loughlin.
  • There were three hat-tricks scored throughout the season by Wigan players (all in Super League)
    • Joe Burgess vs Wakefield Trinity 
    • Liam Marshall scored four against Hull KR and three vs Leeds Rhinos 
  • Tony Clubb and Sam Powell made the most appearances in the league and Play-Offs – playing 31 out of the 32 games overall
  • Wigan’s biggest win came against Huddersfield on 23rd March – the Warriors won 48-10 at the DW Stadium with Tom Davies and Joe Burgess grabbing braces

Stats

League and Super 8s

  • 30 games 
  • Won 23 
  • Drawn 0 
  • Lost 7 
  • Points For: 740
  • Points Against: 417
  • 46 points

League and Play-Offs (Semi-Final and Grand Final)

  • 32 games 
  • Won 25
  • Drawn 0 
  • Lost 7 
  • Points For: 766
  • Points Against: 421
  • Wigan’s top try scorer was Liam Marshall with 16 tries 
  • The top goal scorer was Sam Tomkins with 106 goals (98 conversions and eight drop-goals)
  • The Club’s top points scorer was Sam Tomkins with 248 points (11 tries, 106 goals)

League table (after Super League regular rounds and Super 8s)

  1. St Helens 
  2. Wigan 
  3. Castleford Tigers 
  4. Warrington Wolves
  5. Wakefield Trinity
  6. Huddersfield Giants 
  7. Catalans Dragons 
  8. Hull FC

Wigan’s squad

  1. Sam Tomkins 
  2. Tom Davies 
  3. Dan Sarginson 
  4. Oliver Gildart
  5. Joe Burgess 
  6. George Williams 
  7. Sam Powell
  8. Tony Clubb
  9. Tommy Leuluai
  10. Ben Flower
  11. Joel Tomkins 
  12. Liam Farrell 
  13. Sean O’Loughlin 
  14. John Bateman 
  15. Ryan Sutton 
  16. Frank-Paul Nu’uausala
  17. Taulima Tautai 
  18. Warriors Fans 
  19. Willie Isa 
  20. Morgan Escare 
  21. Dom Manfredi 
  22. Liam Marshall 
  23. Josh Ganson 
  24. Jake Shorrocks (didn’t play a game)
  25. Romain Navarrete
  26. Jack Wells (didn’t play a game)
  27. Callum Field 
  28. Liam Forsyth 
  29. Jack Higginson (didn’t play a game)
  30. Gabriel Hamlin
  31. Joe Bretherton (didn’t play a game)
  32. Caine Barnes (didn’t play a game)
  33. Macauley Davies (didn’t play a game)
  34. Josh Woods 
  35. Ollie Partington 
  36. Samy Kibula 
  37. James Worthington 
  38. Craig Mullen
  39. Liam Paisley 
  40. Joe Greenwood 
  41. Chris Hankinson 

Debutants 

  • There were seven players who made their Wigan debuts in 2018:
    • Gabriel Hamlin 
    • Craig Mullen 
    • Liam Paisley 
    • Joe Greenwood 
    • Samy Kibula 
    • Chris Hankinson 
    • Ollie Partington 
    • Dan Sarginson (second debut – returned from Gold Coast Titans)

Attendances 

  • Wigan’s highest home attendance came against St Helens on 19th July – 16,047 spectators watched on at the DW Stadium as the Warriors lost 14-6
  • 64,892 supporters were inside Old Trafford for the Grand Final 
Monday 13 July 2020