Super League: Liam Marshall stars as Wigan Warriors beat Hull KR 42-12 to seal place in Grand Final
Liam Marshall grabbed three tries on his 150th appearance for Wigan Warriors as the League Leaders' Shield winners defeated Hull Kingston Rovers 42-12 to reach the Betfred Super League Grand Final; Wigan face Catalans Dragons at Old Trafford in the showpiece on Saturday October 14
Last Updated: 07/10/23 5:49pm
A hat-trick from Liam Marshall on his 150th Wigan Warriors appearance helped send the League Leaders’ Shield winners into the Betfred Super League Grand Final with a 42-12 win at home to Hull Kingston Rovers in Saturday's semi-final.
Two tries from Marshall and one from Jai Field inside the first 11 minutes put Wigan in the ascendancy early on at the DW Stadium, but Hull KR worked their way back into the contest and cut the deficit to 18-6 at half-time thanks to Elliot Minchella's converted score.
Winger Marshall restored the 18-point cushion with his third try of the match three minutes after the break and Field's second, along with finishes from Toby King and the competition's joint-leading try-scorer in 2023 Abbas Miski, left no way back for the Betfred Challenge Cup beaten finalists, who did get a late consolation from Jez Litten.
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The result sets up a first-versus-second clash in the Grand Final at Old Trafford in seven days' time, with the competition's French representatives Catalans Dragons providing the opposition as the Warriors aim to lift the Super League title for the first time since 2018.
Story of the game
Former Wigan player Willie Peters' side had arrived at the DW Stadium brimming with confidence after a stellar campaign but the semi-final simply proved a step too far as Hull KR's flat-footed defensive line was ruthlessly exploited by the hosts.
Marshall marked his milestone appearance by crashing through to notch the opener inside three minutes, then Jai Field pursued Smith's clever kick to slap down his side's second, a video check over-ruling referee Liam Moore's suspicions of a knock-on.
Marshall exposed more gaps on the Rovers right to trot over all too easily for his side's third and Smith's precision with the boot meant the visitors were staring at an 18-0 deficit having barely brushed the ball in anger.
Minchella at least gave his side hope before half-time as Rovers capitalised on a careless knock-on by Miski, with Sam Luckley and Matt Parcell combining to give the loose forward the chance to get their side on the scoreboard.
Rovers briefly looked galvanised and Matty Storton had a sniff of a second, but it marked their last real chance to establish some sort of contest as familiar failings meant Wigan completed the job within 15 minutes of the restart.
French's clever cross-field lob found Marshall in space to tap down for his hat-trick, yet another Rovers failure to cope with a high ball sent on-loan centre King over in the opposite corner, then Patrick Mago's fancy footwork served up Field's second.
Wigan were simply merciless against a Rovers team folding under the weight of an exhaustive campaign and a seventh try via Lebanon international Miski began to give the scoreline echoes of Wigan's 64-6 win over a second-string Rovers side early last month.
They at least avoided that indignity, but it was a sad ending for Rovers and in particular their stalwart former New Zealand international Shaun Kenny-Dowall, who had a difficult afternoon in his final game before retirement.
Smith finally missed with a cheeky long-range drop-goal attempt as Wigan counted down the minutes and Rovers at least gave their massed ranks of travelling fans something to cheer when Jordan Abdull sent Litten cantering through in the dying stages.
What they said
Wigan Warriors head coach Matt Peet
"It's going to be a very different game [against Catalans]. Today, a lot of things went our way and next week it's going to be totally different.
"I've so much respect for their players and coaching staff...It's going to be a fantastic occasion and I'm pleased we're going to be a part of it."
Hull KR head coach Willie Peters
"I'm extremely proud of the season, the players and the staff. We could have thrown the towel in after Wembley, but we showed character as a team and a club.
"But it shows today, we've still got a long way to go, haven't we? Playing against a club like Wigan and a team like them, they showed the way today."
Player of the match Harry Smith
"It was an unbelievable start from us. We said we needed to do that and show we'd earned that week off.
"It's great for all the boys - what a brilliant performance."
What's next?
Wigan Warriors now face Catalans Dragons in the Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford on Saturday October 14 (6pm kick-off). Watch the Grand Final live on Sky Sports and stream with NOW.
