rugby-league

Liam Marshall: Historic quadruple is for my family full of Wigan Warriors fans!

Liam Marshall knows that Wigan Warriors have made history with their Super League Grand Final victory, but knows he only might start to appreciate the significance of it many years down the line.

The Cherry and White winger is a homegrown talent, growing up just 10 minutes away from Wigan's stadium.

His love for the club runs deep, with Marshall running out onto the Old Trafford pitch in 2013 as a flag-bearing Wigan fan before his professional career began.

Super League's top try-scorer has set the competition alight for many a year now and after missing the 2018 and 2020 Grand Finals through injury, he now has become a back-to-back champion for the side he and his family love.

Despite a phenomenal year on the pitch, Marshall has had some highs and lows in his personal life, welcoming his first child but also dealing with the sad passing of his mother Debbie, a lifelong Warriors fan.

For the 28-year-old, getting to give this moment to his family and experience it playing for a once-in-a-generation team, is something he will look back on in 20 years with pride.

"It's very humbling every week to put on a Wigan shirt. I'm a local lad, brought up 10 minutes from the stadium," Marshall said.

"It means a lot to me, my family and extended family - every single one of them is a Wigan fan. I know it means a lot to them.

"The quadruple is amazing. Like I said, it will take a while to sink in… but it has put us up there with one of the best sides that has ever been.

"When we're all done and in 20 years we have a reunion with lads from all over the world, it will be special.

"My brothers, my dad, my child and my wife Megan, a couple of mates have come along as well.

"One of the nicest things is looking up after the game and seeing their smiling faces.

"Knowing how much it means to them, as much as it means to us - they make a lot of sacrifices off the field for what we do.

"There are days I just want to sit with my feet up and relax, and she wants to go out. But the pay off is incredible with nights like that.

"I know she's only little but I'm sure we can show her the pictures when she's a little bit older."

Despite this Wigan side making history, Marshall insists that the quadruple they have claimed was not a target set for the year, but something they only started to speak about as a team a few weeks ago.

"Obviously it was an amazing finish to what has been a remarkable year," he added.

"The four trophies, it was something that only cropped up as the year rolled on. To be the first team to do it in the modern era is an outstanding achievement and probably one we'll not really process or understand how big it is until a few months or even years down the line.

"It's not something we ever set out to do. I don't think it was ever spoke about until a few weeks back.

"You start the year, as every other team does, setting out to play good rugby and be successful - that's why we all play the game. We were lucky enough to get in the position where we had the chance to make history and we were lucky enough to do that tonight."

Sky Sports+ has officially launched and will be integrated into Sky TV, streaming service NOW and the Sky Sports app, giving Sky Sports customers access to over 50 per cent more live sport this year at no extra cost. Find out more here.