Airborne Eagle wrote:
I guess for Wigan supporters beating the Eagles will be like closure on for what must have been a nightmare day for them.
Oddly, *that* game still remains one of the highlights of my days watching RL.
I never saw Wigan win (live) at Wembley. The only Wembley final I ever went to was the '98 one (mainly due to only starting to go to live games in '97).
Anyway - My daughter and I were sat there at the end, still not quite able to believe that we'd actually lost, when some of the Sheffield team came around the stadium one last time with the trophy, and promptly handed it over to us (and several other mixed Wigan/Sheffield/ANOther fans).
The "closure" for me (if you want to call it that) came the following week (IIRC) when we absolutely mullered you at your place (something like 36-6), and I came out thinking "Why the hell couldn't we have done that at Wembley".
But again, the trophy was not only paraded, but passed in to the crowd and then passed around just about the entire fan-base of both clubs, before being safely returned to the players.
In how many other sports could you just "give" one of the highest trophies to the crowd and expect to get it back safely?
I have to admit that I'm really looking forward to this weekend - Not least because it's not at Don Valley, so I can leave the binoculars at home.
And I'm torn on the team selection too.
As much as I want us to give someone a mullering, I also want a decent game.
At least it shows that our coach is taking both you guys and the cup itself seriously.
See you down there guys, and good luck.