How do you improve on a season where you swept the board, won all trophies in front of you, lost just once and scored an average of more than 50 points per game?
That is a question Denis Betts and his Wigan Warriors players have no doubt been asked countless times since their 16-12 Grand Final victory over St Helens back in October.
That victory wrapped up an historic season for the Cherry & Whites, who had already claimed the Betfred Challenge Cup at Wembley Stadium with a 42-6 win over four-time consecutive winners St Helens, retained their Nines title, and edged out Saints again to claim the League Leaders’ Shield by a single point.
For so long, Wigan had threatened to become a major challenge for the previous ‘Big Three’ of St Helens, Leeds Rhinos and York Valkyrie.
The 2025 season was the year they managed to break that monopoly and make people sit up and take notice - and they certainly did it in style.
But 2026 now poses new challenges, and perhaps their toughest task yet - proving that last year was no fluke and that Wigan will remain a dominant force in the women’s game for many years to come.
The first chance they’ll get to do that is by retaining the Challenge Cup trophy they won in such emphatic fashion 12 months ago.
That opening question remains, though, and for captain Georgia Wilson, the answer is a simple one - keeping things simple.
“We have to take things up another level, and we know we’ve got to be ruthless,” says Wilson, who was part of the Wigan squad that won the 2018 Grand Final against the Rhinos.
“We’ll just take every game and every week as it comes and focus on what’s important in every game.
“We absolutely have to be on our guard this year because everyone will be targeting us after all our success last season.
“Obviously, every team is going to be going all out to try and beat us and knock us away from the trophies. We have to be prepared for that by focusing on ourselves and being ruthless in everything we’re doing.
“We’ve also been working hard on our defence this year because if you get that right, then everything else will follow from that.
It was sticking to those basics and working hard for each other that earned Wilson and her team-mates the right to play at Wembley for a second consecutive season.
Having convincingly beaten Featherstone Rovers and Cardiff Demons [78-6 and 76-6 respectively] in the group stages, Wigan then dispatched London Broncos 112-0 in the quarter-finals before facing their toughest early-season test against a new-look York side led by new coach and Super League legend Leon Pryce.
But a ruthless streak in attack, as well as a tight defensive performance, saw Wigan take a largely one sided semi-final 52-0, which, despite the scoreline, still tested Wigan significantly.
And while it was far from error-free, there was a lot to be positive about for a Wigan side keen for more glory this year.
“We knew the semi-final against York was going to be tough, but I didn’t expect the result to be what it was,” admits Wilson, who, after spending time in Australia playing for South Logan Magpies and Norths Devils, returned to Wigan in 2024.
“But all our girls were switched on, everyone did the role they were asked to do, and the forwards were really physical, so I was really proud of every single one of them.
“Physically, it was tough, and I did feel it in the body, even if the scoreline didn’t reflect that. But it helped that the workload was spread evenly among all the girls, which was great to see.
“There were a few errors, but it was really impressive to see the way the girls just switched straight back on, regained focus and completed.
“All we want to do is complete our sets, and if things start to go a bit off the cuff and we start dropping balls and making errors, we just need to go back to the basics of carrying hard, kick-chasing hard and doing everything right. You saw us do that in the semi-final, which made a big difference on the day.
The 29-year-old Cumbrian-born Wilson started last season’s final in the centre alongside Molly Jones, and while her position in the team hasn’t changed in the intervening 12 months, her role certainly has.
Following the retirement of Vicky Molyneux at the end of last season, Wilson has taken on the captaincy - and she knows that role, especially at Wembley, comes with a lot of added responsibility in what promises to be a great game for many different reasons, not least because local pride and bragging rights are on offer.
“We’ve been there before, so we know what it’s all about, and the experience we got there last year will prepare us for what’s to come,” added Wilson, who combines her playing role with that of Women and Girls Development Manager at the club.
“A Wigan v Saints derby is always very special - everybody knows that - and that will be just the same at Wembley.
“But Saints will still be hurting from last year, and they won’t want us to do it again, so they’ll be going all out for it as well, which means it should be a great game.
“On the day, leading the side out through the tunnel will be a really special moment for me.
“Vicky is a great girl and led by example throughout her whole career, so hopefully I can take after her and lead the girls out there to another good performance.
“It was great to lift that trophy last year, and hopefully we can do it again this year.”
By Lorraine Marsden
Tickets for 2026 Betfred Challenge Cup Final can be purchased here.
