Abbas Miski hat-trick shows his yoga's working as Wigan thrash rivals Leigh
Birthday boy Abbas Miski helped wonderful Wigan Warriors destroy Welmbley-bound Leigh Leopards.
The Lebanon winger turned 28 on Tuesday and belatedly celebrated with a superb display as Warriors quickly shrugged off Sunday’s Challenge Cup semi-final heartache against Hull KR. Miskas scored a second-half hat-trick, including two interceptions, to take his tally for the season to 13. But he also created two first-half tries that turned the Super League Super contest.
Wigan boss Matt Peet enthused: “They're not only tries, they're two great interceptions showing great defensive play, too. I didn’t think he’d scored the other to the naked eye but it was an excellent finish. How he got his body in the right position shows all his yoga is paying off.
“He’s a very well-rounded player. He’s technically excellent and it was an ideal debut for Tyler (Dupree), too. He and Patrick Mago in that middle spell got us rolling forward. It was a challenging week after an emotional loss against Hull KR. We had to cop that one. There was a lot of frustration coming out of that but the lads channelled that in the right way.”
And it certainly appears Wigan are Leigh’s kryptonite. The Leopards have outclassed most teams in Super League this season after earning promotion and will play at Wembley for the first time in 52 years in a fortnight. But they simply can’t get the better of their derby rivals.
After being hammered 34-6 in March, things got even worse at DW Stadium yesterday with Wigan also ousting Adrian Lam’s side from second spot. Leigh - who had lost just once in 14 outings - dominated first half possession after some shocking Wigan handling but did little with it. It meant they were still level at 6-6 when their hosts showed them how to be ruthless with back-to-back tries out of nothing just before the break.
Wigan Warriors' Abbas Miski scores an 80m intercept against Leigh Leopards (PA)Miski was the unlikely provider for both, dabbing a kick in for Toby King before doing the same from his flank for Bevan French’s second. Harry Smith’s second of six goals meant Peet’s side went in 16-6 ahead and there was no looking back. England prop Dupree, who joined from Salford on Wednesday, quickly started repaying his hefty transfer fee charging through woeful Leigh defence to cross in the 48th minute.
And then Miski went back to his usual role of try-scoring, picking off Gareth O’Brien’s pass to grab an 80m intercept before producing that wonderful finish in the corner. Liam Marshall danced over for another as Leigh’s defence folded again. Tom Briscoe replied but Miski finished off with his hat-trick after intercepting O’Brien for a second time.
Wigan Warriors' Tyler Dupree (left) celebrates after scoring a try on his debut against Leigh Leopards. (PA)Leigh prop Robbie Mulhern scored a late consolation. Tom Amone had given them a 12th minute lead, Ben Reynolds converting, but little else went right.
French levelled soon after with a classy team try and Lam conceded: “We’ve been beaten convincingly today. It’s been an emotional week after the Cup semi. It’s hard to get up for a second week in a row. I thought that was a danger but Wigan were great today.”
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