Wigan Warriors capped off their incredible season with a convincing 64-0 victory over Salford Red Devils to lift the League Leaders Shield.
Matt Peet’s side was priced as short as 1/500 after the Salford squad was confirmed with Paul Rowley opting for the preservation of his stars. That saw him make 17 changes to his 21-man squad from last week with his matchday squad featuring eight debutants.
Speaking pre-match on Sky Sports, Rowley reasoned: “This is what is best for Salford Red Devils. I hate coming here and not competing with my best team but I’ve got to do what’s right for my team and the right thing to do for my team is have a fully functioning, fit team when it gets to knock out stage.”
His side featured a mixture of veterans who had been left by the wayside throughout the season, including 36-year-old Adam Sidlow who made his first Super League appearance of the season but his 150th in his career after spending all year on loan with League One Oldham.
Alongside Sidlow were eight debutants who went up against the might of a Wigan Warriors side featuring Man of Steel Bevan French, Super League’s leading try-scorer Liam Marshall and Young Player of the Year-elect Junior Nsemba.