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For as long as most people can remember,
Wigan has always been a ‘rugby town’. However, earlier this year,
something happened that few ever fully expected, and Wigan Athletic
stormed to the upper echelons of the Premiership. Consequently, the
sport that put Wigan on the sporting map became neglected as all eyes
shifted to Paul Jewell’s blue and white army.
To make matters worse, Wigan Warriors have found themselves struggling
as of late, disappointingly finding themselves in the lower-half of the
Super League and with several top players benched with injuries.
Yet in the face of adversity comes opportunity, and hoping to seize the
opportunity that such turmoil presents is a pack of bright young
players, led by 18-year-old Sean Gleeson.
“The injuries have opened the doors for a few of us and given us a
chance,” says the ex John Fisher student.
“You’ve gotta take your chance when you can. Now it’s up to us to show
people what we can do.”
Chatting to The LINC in the lush lobby of the JJB Stadium, there is
little doubting Sean’s passion for the game and pride at recently
signing for the first team, as he talks enthusiastically about his
career that started with a little encouragement from his dad.
“I remember when I was about six, my dad used to go mad at me because I
never had anything to do,” he reminisces with a smile.
“He used to take me to watch rugby, and my cousins played it, so I
decided to take it up too.”
It was a decision that was to see Sean rapidly rise through the ranks to
the height of first-team rugby league. He did not know it at the time
though, nor did he know that the club he had supported since a child had
their eye on him.
“I was playing for St. Patrick's, and at the end of the year, Wigan
approached me and said ‘we’ve been watching you all year and we want you
to come and train with us on a scholarship.’
“They said they didn’t want to tell me [earlier] because it might put me
off. I was really buzzin’, I had no idea they’d been watching me!”
As Sean recalls this turning point in his career, he does so with such a
spirit that you would be forgiven for believing that it happened to him
about an hour ago, rather than several years back. Yet this unwavering
keenness could be largely down to the fact that from that moment things
only seemed to get better.
After spending time on the scholarship “getting prepared to play at the
next level” Sean enjoyed success this year in not one but two Academy
Grand Finals.
“I played in the Under-21s at Hull, we just lost that one,” he says.
However his disappointment did not last long, as Sean was then asked to
step in for the Under-18s final against Leeds Rhinos, scoring a try
early in the second half and helping lead Wigan to an impressive
victory.
“It was really good to score in the final, I was buzzin’,” says Sean,
who hopes for even greater success playing for Wigan’s first team after
shrugging off temptation to go elsewhere.
“Warrington and St. Helens both approached me to sign for them. My
cousins both play at Warrington an they were trying to talk me into
joining them, but in the end I decided to stay with the team I’ve grown
up with,” he says.
Speaking of growing up, Sean says that his favourite players were Wigan
legends Andy Farrell and Kris Radlinkski, adding that he hopes his name
will one day be up their amongst the cherry and white clad greats.
“My biggest ambition is to be the best in the world playing my
position,” he says without a hint of delusion. Perhaps it is this
unfaltering aspiration that helped him move quickly through the ranks to
the point of signing his two year first team contract over the summer.
Yet as often as Sean seems to be cool, calm and collected about his
rapid rise through the Warriors’ hierarchy, there are moments when he
admits it has all come as a bit of surprise to him.
“I couldn’t believe it when I signed for the first team, it all happened
so fast!
“When my dad used to take me down to watch the rugby, I always used to
think ‘How good would that [playing professionally] be?’ but I never
actually thought I would,” he says fondly.
However, having already enjoyed so much success thus far, these quips of
elation are soon quelled by Sean’s seemingly unfazed attitude to his
career.
When asked about whether he’ll be able to follow through with his dreams
of being ‘the best in the world’, his reply comes so genuine and with
such conviction, “Anything’s possible”
Even Wigan Warriors returning to their former glory and back into the
hearts of our pie-munchin’ sports fans?
“Definitely! Wigan’s a rugby town at the end of the day, isn’t it?”
With such dedicated and enthusiastic players as yourself sir, here’s
hoping so!
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In the Hotseat
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