Friday 9 October 2015 10:54, UK
Wigan head coach Shaun Wane is adamant Ben Flower has nothing to prove ahead of Saturday's Super League Grand Final against Leeds.
Flower was sent off in the opening moments of the 2014 Grand Final between Wigan and St Helens for punching Lance Hohaia, the second while the Saints man was lying on the floor.
The Welshman received a six-month ban for the incident, the longest in rugby league history, but his coach Shaun Wane believes that a year on, the prop doesn't owe anybody anything but a good performance.
"Really simple, he has absolutely nothing to prove" said Wane. "We are travelling to Old Trafford and on Saturday night we are playing a game of rugby on a piece of grass and it is only important before the game and after the game and I just want him to do his job, do his job really well and Benny at his best is running hard and smashing people.
"That's all I want him to do, he has nothing to prove, he doesn't owe anybody anything. He has done a great job for us and I'm sure he will carry on in that same vein of form on Saturday night."
Despite a 12-man Wigan losing 14-6 to Saints, Wane says that the club rallied around Flower and made sure he was properly supported through his lengthy ban.
"Me, Rads [Kris Radlinski] and all the club, we are a very caring club" added Wane.
"It is a real family orientated club and we look after our own and I have a lot of time for Ben. It hurt us seeing him going through what he went through and we helped him and his family.
"We didn't dwell on it here, it was made a big thing of in the media but between us and the sanctum here we just got on with it.
"We know Ben was hurting but he's a player, a professional player, he has to come do his job, do his weights and do his skills and doing the best he can.
"So he got on with it, he responded really well and his form since coming back has been outstanding. I love him as a bloke, he is a great bloke, great player.
"He made an error and if somebody ran into me with his elbow in my face when I took the ball, well, you know that would be tough for me to deal with so I understand where he is coming from.
"He just made an error that day but he has dealt with it perfectly."
