| 1997 Wigan Warriors season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super League II Rank | 4th | |||
| Play-off result | Won Premiership Final | |||
| Challenge Cup | 4th round | |||
| 1997 record | Wins: 14; draws: 0; losses: 8 | |||
| Points scored | For: 683; against: 398 | |||
| Team information | ||||
| Stadium | Central Park | |||
| ||||
The 1997 Wigan Warriors season was the 102nd season in the club's rugby league history and the second season in the Super League. Coached by Eric Hughes, the Warriors competed in Super League II and finished in 4th place, but went on to win the Premiership Final at Old Trafford against St. Helens. The club also competed in the 1997 Challenge Cup, and were knocked out in the fourth round by St Helens.
Background
The inaugural Super League season in 1996 was a disappointing year for Wigan. Although they finished the year with a victory in the 1996 Premiership final, the club ended the league season as runners-up to rivals St Helens, the first time since 1989 that they had failed to win the league, and their nine-year unbeaten run in the Challenge Cup had come to an end. From the start of the 1997 season, the club became known as Wigan Warriors.
The club was struggling with financial problems, and was reportedly over £3 million in debt. Dave Whelan, owner of the town's football club Wigan Athletic, had offered to buy the rugby club's ground, Central Park, which would be redeveloped into an all-seater stadium and shared by both clubs. In January 1997, Wigan Warriors' shareholders voted in favour of accepting the offer, but two months later the board instead decided to sell the ground to Tesco, who had offered considerably more money than Whelan, and the club intended to share the newly built Reebok Stadium with Bolton Wanderers until it could build its own new stadium. The decision led to the departure of director John Martin, who had backed Whelan's proposal. The shareholders, unhappy that the club was being moved out of town, demanded the resignation of two of the club's board members, Jack Robinson and Tom Rathbone. Following months of continuous protests by shareholders and supporters, Robinson and Rathbone resigned in August, with Arthur Thomas taking over as chairman. Thomas resigned in October, and the club was taken over by Mike Nolan, a local businessman and former rugby league player with Rochdale Hornets and St Helens. The plan to move in with Bolton Wanderers was dropped, and the club announced they would share a proposed new stadium at Robin Park with Wigan Athletic as of the start of the 2000 season.
Prior to the start of the league season, The Independent wrote that Wigan's squad was "thin on genuine quality", and predicted that the team would finish third.
Match results
Challenge Cup
Wigan were drawn against St Helens in the fourth round of the Challenge Cup. Wigan lost 12–26 against their local rivals, with the result eventually leading to the departure of coach Graeme West a week later.
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fourth | 8 February 1997 | St Helens | Away | 12–26 | Radlinski | Farrell (4) | 12,262 |
World Club Championship
Wigan were in Pool A for the 1997 World Club Championship.
Group stage
| Game | Date | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 June 1997 | Canterbury Bulldogs | Away | 22–18 | Robinson (2), Haughton, A. Johnson | Farrell (2), Paul | 10,680 |
| 2 | 16 June 1997 | Brisbane Broncos | Away | 0–34 | 14,833 | ||
| 3 | 22 June 1997 | Canberra Raiders | Away | 22–56 | Radlinski (2), Connolly, Hall | Farrell (3) | 9,098 |
| 4 | 20 July 1997 | Brisbane Broncos | Home | 4–30 | Farrell (2) | 13,476 | |
| 5 | 28 July 1997 | Canterbury Bulldogs | Home | 31–24 | Connolly, Cowie, Farrell, Radlinski, Robinson | Farrell (5, 1dg) | 10,280 |
| 6 | 3 August 1997 | Canberra Raiders | Home | 10–50 | Haughton | Farrell (3) | 12,504 |
Knockout stage
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarter-final | 3 October 1997 | Hunter Mariners | Home | 18–22 | Ellison (2), Radlinski | Farrell (3) | 9,553 |
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Bradford Bulls (C)
|
22 | 20 | 0 | 2 | 769 | 397 | +372 | 40 | |
| 2 |  London Broncos
|
22 | 15 | 3 | 4 | 616 | 418 | +198 | 33 | |
| 3 |  St Helens
|
22 | 14 | 1 | 7 | 592 | 506 | +86 | 29 | |
| 4 |  Wigan
|
22 | 14 | 0 | 8 | 683 | 398 | +285 | 28 | |
| 5 |  Leeds Rhinos
|
22 | 13 | 1 | 8 | 544 | 463 | +81 | 27 | |
| 6 |  Salford Reds
|
22 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 428 | 495 | −67 | 22 | |
| 7 |  Halifax Blue Sox
|
22 | 8 | 2 | 12 | 524 | 549 | −25 | 18 | |
| 8 |  Sheffield Eagles
|
22 | 9 | 0 | 13 | 415 | 574 | −159 | 18 | |
| 9 |  Warrington Wolves
|
22 | 8 | 0 | 14 | 437 | 647 | −210 | 16 | |
| 10 |  Castleford Tigers
|
22 | 5 | 2 | 15 | 334 | 515 | −181 | 12 | |
| 11 |  Paris Saint-Germain
|
22 | 6 | 0 | 16 | 362 | 572 | −210 | 12 | |
| 12 |  Oldham Bears (R)
|
22 | 4 | 1 | 17 | 461 | 631 | −170 | 9 | Relegated to Division One |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Points difference; 3) Number of points scored;
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Squad
Source:
Players marked * left the club during the season.
| No | Player | Apps | Tries | Goals | DGs | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kris Radlinski | 33 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 60 |
| 2 | Jason Robinson | 31 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 80 |
| 3 | Va'aiga Tuigamala * | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Gary Connolly | 28 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 60 |
| 5 | Rob Smyth | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Henry Paul | 27 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 36 |
| 7 | Shaun Edwards * | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Neil Cowie | 27 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 9 | Mick Cassidy | 33 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 10 | Terry O'Connor | 28 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 11 | Simon Haughton | 31 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 60 |
| 13 | Andy Farrell | 33 | 9 | 146 | 4 | 332 |
| 14 | Craig Murdock | 18 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| 15 | Andy Johnson | 31 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 64 |
| 16 | Danny Ellison | 12 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 40 |
| 17 | Stephen Holgate | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | Stuart Lester | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Nigel Wright | 14 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| 21 | Daryl Cardiss | 16 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 22 | Paul Johnson | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 23 | Ian Sherratt | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Sean Long * | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | Gaël Tallec | 28 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 26 | Doc Murray | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | Martin Hall | 18 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 10 |
| 28 | Paul Koloi | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 29 | Lee Hansen | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | Tony Smith | 23 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 64 |
| 31 | Ian Talbot | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 32 | Neil Baynes | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | Lee Gilmour | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | Jon Clarke | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Transfers
|
In
|
Out
|
References
- "New name for Wigan". The Times. 31 October 1996. p. 45.
- Hadfield, Dave (12 January 1997). "Rugby league : Wigan vote to stay at home". The Independent. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- Hadfield, Dave (6 March 1997). "Rugby League: Wigan exiled by £12m Central Park sale". The Independent. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- Hadfield, Dave (26 February 1997). "Resignation adds to Wigan's troubles". The Independent. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- "Wigan chief under fire". The Bolton News. p. 14 March 1997. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- Hadfield, Dave (19 August 1997). "Rugby League: Reviled Robinson steps down at Wigan". The Independent. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- "Rugby League: Takeover saves Wigan from going to the wall". The Independent. 31 October 1997. p. 32.
- Hadfield, Dave (19 November 1997). "Rugby League: Wigan plan to ground-share with football neighbours Athletic by year 2000". The Independent. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- "Rugby: Club-by-club guide to the Super League". The Independent. 13 March 1997. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- Hadfield, Dave (17 February 1997). "Rugby League: West resigns at Wigan after refusing new role". The Independent. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- Fletcher, Raymond; Howes, David (1998). Rothmans Rugby League Yearbook 1998. London: Headline. p. 137. ISBN 978-0-7472-7683-8.
External links
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