Gleeson leads Wigan to title

Martin Gleeson (left)
12 April 2012

Martin Gleeson scored twice against former club St Helens as Wigan reclaimed the Engage Super League title after a 12-year wait with a 22-10 victory..

Gleeson set up victory in a one-sided Grand Final at Old Trafford with two early tries before turning provider for Darrell Goulding in a blistering start.

Andrew Dixon and Francis Meli replied for Saints but Wigan were always in control and Sam Tomkins also crossed.

Wigan ended 12 years of hurt by adding to the Grand-Final misery of arch-rivals St Helens in a surprisingly one-sided Engage Super League title decider in front of a near-capacity crowd of 71,526 at Old Trafford.

The Warriors did not look back after former Saints centre Gleeson, whose time at Knowsley Road was marred by his involvement in the infamous betting scandal of 2004, scored two tries in the first 15 minutes to give his side the upper hand they never looked like relinquishing.

New Zealand scrum-half Thomas Leuluai and lively full-back Sam Tomkins were the architects of an impressive win which was achieved largely without newly-crowned Man of Steel Pat Richards, who hobbled off with an ankle injury three minutes before half-time.

In addition to scoring four tries to two, Wigan had two others disallowed and, in the absence of their ace marksman, missed three kicks at goal.

While Wigan were able to celebrate their first Grand Final triumph since 1998 - and their first major silverware for eight years - in the first season under Australian coach Michael Maguire, St Helens were left distraught after suffering a fourth successive defeat.

A hat-trick of losses at the hands of Leeds was bad enough but this emphatic defeat by their most bitter of rivals will be particularly hard to stomach.

It meant a sad end to the distinguished career of Saints captain Keiron Cunningham, who hung up his boots at the end of his 496th appearance, while Bradford-bound Mick Potter became the first St Helens coach of the Super League era not to win a trophy.

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