Wigan Warriors Women’s head coach Denis Betts and star outside-back Georgia Wilson shared their pride despite the club’s narrow defeat to rivals St Helens in a historic double-header.
Ellise Derbyshire and Eva Hunter crossed for the Warriors in the 16-12 defeat before the Men’s Super League fixture – only their second loss of the season after Saints claimed the victory in Round 5.
It marked the club’s first ever derby double-header at The Brick Community Stadium, while Betts’ side came out victorious in their history-making first outing at the ground with an 18-4 win over Barrow Raiders Ladies earlier this year.
“It was pretty special, I actually had a little cry because of how proud I was at the end,” Wilson said after Friday’s clash, which was also live on Sky Sports.
“In the second half, the fans got behind us.
“The fans were cheering us on and showing us so much support and hopefully that second half and how much we fought proved to the fans and the Wigan community that our team and Women’s Super League is getting better.
“There were four points in it and that’s what we want against teams like St Helens, Leeds and York.”
Boss Betts believed his side showed ‘lots of character and determination’ against an experienced St Helens outfit, who recently won the 2024 Women’s Challenge Cup and now sit at the top of the Super League table.
“I’m proud of the group,” the Wigan legend said.
“I thought we didn’t help ourselves out there – the completion rate was around 50% in the first half and maybe 60 in the second half, but what I can say is that they responded.
“We showed lots of character and lots of determination.
“They’re a very good side who have a lot of international experience through their pack and we stepped up and that’s why I’m really proud of the girls.
“We’re a young and inexperienced group who are learning as we grow but I thought that was a great spectacle for the Women’s game.
“We know that we still have to be better and the challenge is that we still haven’t beat a side in that top half of the table yet so our challenge is next week (vs York Valkyrie) and we’re aware of that straight away.”
