2006 season: In stats

As we come to an end replaying some of the classic matches on Wigan TV from the run-in of the 2006 season when Super League survival was on the line, Club Historian Keith Sutch provides all the key stats and facts from that year.

General facts

• Ian Millward was the Head Coach up until 7th April 2006 when he was released of his duties
• Brian Noble was appointed as the new Head Coach and he won his first game in charge – 14-46 away to Huddersfield on 22nd April

• Sean O’Loughlin was club captain (played 27 league games)
• In Round 1, Wigan made history becoming the first team to play Catalans Dragons in Super League – it was the French outfit’s first ever SL game and they won 38-30 at the Stade Aimé Giral on 11th February

• Wigan won just two of their first 16 league games – both against Huddersfield (home and away)
• Two Wigan players scored hat-tricks during the season – Michael Dobson vs Bradford on 1st September (won 38-16) and Brian Fletcher vs Harlequins on 10th September (lost 30-31)
• The Warriors won ten of their 12 league games to avoid relegation and finish a respectable 8th in the table – three points above relegated Castleford who finished 11th (Catalans Dragons finished in 12th place but were given a three-year exemption from relegation)
• The only ever-present player all season was Micky Higham who played in all 28 league games
• After six years at the Club and 89 tries in 156 appearances, Brett Dallas hung up his boots and retired from the game at the end of the 2006 season.

League stats

• 28 games
• Won 12
• Drew 0
• Lost 16
• Points For: 644
• Points Against: 715
• Points Difference: -71
• 22 points *deducted 2 points at the beginning of the season

2006 Super League final standings

1. St Helens
2. Hull FC
3. Leeds Rhinos
4. Bradford Bulls
5. Salford City Reds
6. Warrington Wolves
7. Harlequins
8. Wigan Warriors
9. Huddersfield Giants
10. Wakefield Wildcats
11. Castleford Tigers
12. Catalans Dragons

Wigan’s 37-man squad

1. Kris Radlinski
2. Mark Calderwood
3. Pat Richards
4. David Vaealiki
5. Brett Dallas
6. Danny Orr
7. Denis Moran
8. Scott Logan
9. Mickey Higham
10. Iafeta Paleaaesina
11. Gareth Hock
12. Bryan Fletcher
13. Sean O’Loughlin
14. Kevin Brown
15. Danny Tickle
16. Bryn Hargreaves
17. Jerry Seu Seu
18. Wayne Godwin
19. Harrison Hansen
20. Michael Dobson
21. Chris Melling (didn’t play a game)
22. Joel Tomkins
23. Paul Prescott
24. Darrell Goulding
25. Sean Gleeson
26. John Walker (didn’t play a game)
27. Thomas Coyle (didn’t play a game)
28. Michael McIlorum (didn’t play a game)
29. Chris Ashton
30. Liam Colbon (didn’t play a game)
31. Tim Jonkers
32. Oliver Wilkes
33. Eamon O’Carroll
34. Jordan James
35. Nathan McAvoy
36. Danny Hill
37. Stuart Fielden

Debutants

Five players made their Wigan debuts in Round 1 vs Catalans Dragons:

• Mark Calderwood
• Micky Higham
• Scott Logan
• Iafeta Paleaaesina (scored a try on debut)
• Pat Richards (scored a try on debut)

Overall, 14 players throughout the season made their debuts for the Warriors:

• Mark Calderwood
• Micky Higham
• Scott Logan
• Iafeta Paleaaesina
• Pat Richards
• Bryan Fletcher (scored a try on debut against Warrington)
• Tim Jonkers
• Oliver Wilkes
• Eamon O’Carroll
• Nathan McAvoy
• Danny Hill
• Michael Dobson
• Stuart Fielden
• Jordan James

Stand-outs

Michael Dobson

• Signed on loan from Catalans in the middle of the season
• Played 14 games, scored five tries, kicked 61 goals
• Ended the season as Wigan’s top goal scorer and top points scorer (142)

Chris Ashton

• Played 26 league games
• Scored 13 tries (top try scorer)

Kris Radlinski

• After hanging his boots up at the end of 2005, Radlinski came out of retirement and returned to the field in attempt to save his hometown club from relegation
• His first game back ended in a 24-18 win over Catalans Dragons at the JJB Stadium on 18th June
• In total, he played six games and Wigan won five of those he was involved in

Stuart Fielden

• Fielden joined Wigan from Bradford on 22nd June and his first game for the Club was a 30-12 win over Warrington at the JJB Stadium on 23rd June
• He went on to play 11 games in the 2006 season

Attendances

• Average home attendances = 7th highest on record for Wigan in Super League still to this day
• Highest home attendance in the 2006 season was 18,358 vs St Helens on 27th May

All stats provided by Club Historian Keith Sutch