Wigan Warriors 2025 season review
- Overview
- Highs
- Lows
- 2025 RLB Player of the Year – Kaide Ellis
- Reasons to be positive in 2026
- My 2025 prediction – 1st (Champions)
- Final 2025 position – 2nd (-1)
Overview
After winning all four trophies in 2024, Wigan had a lot to live up to in 2025. Ultimately, they came up short and finished the year without any silverware for the first time since 2021, but they still managed to reach a 14th Grand Final.
They were disappointing in their 24-6 loss to Hull KR at Old Trafford, but overall it was another strong year from the Warriors, who have set such high standards since Matt Peet’s arrival that anything other than trophies looks like failure.
Highs
The Warriors became the first Super League side to play in Las Vegas when they took on Warrington back in March, and they put on a show worthy of the setting, with a 48-24 victory.
Wiagn also boasted the best attack in the competition, had two players named in the Dream Team, and they won 23 of their 31 matches in all competitions – a record that most teams would be ecstatic with.
They did the double over biggest rivals St. Helens, and they also beat champions Hull KR on their own patch along the way too. They also managed to keep their opponents to six points or less on 11 occasions in all competitions, as their defence proved solid again. However, one of those matches was the bizarre 1-0 loss to Leigh on the opneing night.
Lows
Wigan usually turn up for the biggest occasions, but they were well short of their best on Grand Final night, and Hull KR were deserved winners.
There was an inexplicable early exit in the Challenge Cup too, when they let a 16-point lead slip at home to Hull FC. They were well beaten at home by the same opponents in Super League as well, while their crunch clash at home to Hull KR in Round 22 also resulted in a home defeat.
On the playing front, Luke Thompson, Abbas Miski and Bevan French missed large chunks of the campaign, which didn’t help, while the arrival of Christian Wade from Rugby Union was a disaster – although he still managed to score two tries in two games.
2025 RLB Player of the Year – Kaide Ellis
The loose forward can sometimes fly under the radar when the likes of Jai Field and Bevan French are buzzing around him, but the former Penrith man was an absolute lock again 2025, and didn’t miss a single league game. He ran for over 2000 metres and made 918 tackles across his 27 games in the regular season alone.
Reasons to be positive in 2026
Wigan will always be there or thereabouts, and a 2nd-placed finish and a Grand Final appearance would be a dream for most clubs.
They’ve got a few minor things to tidy up ahead of the new campaign, but they’ll be right in the thick of things again in 2026.
My 2025 prediction – 1st (Champions)
Final 2025 position – 2nd (-1)
Wigan came very close to making my prediction come true in 2025, but they fell just short when it came to it. Hull KR went to another level in 2025, and there was no shame in finishing 2nd to the Robins this year.
