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Three years after a serious injury on his debut made him seriously question his decision to swap subtropical Parramatta for the chill of an English Winter, Jai Field has become as much a part of the Wigan furniture as pies and piers.
It has not all been plain sailing for the swashbuckling full-back, but he underscored his shift in mindset by signing a four-year contract extension at the start of a 2024 season that he hopes will end in a second consecutive Grand Final win over Hull KR on Saturday night.
Whilst inclement weather remains a bone of contention, the 27-year-old is loving everything else about his increasingly senior role in a squad that saw the emergence of young talents like Zach Eckersley and Jack Farrimond during another silverware-laden campaign.
“When I first came over here I probably didn’t think I’d be staying too long but things change and it shows how settled I am here at Wigan,” Field told the PA news agency.
“I’d say the only thing I haven’t got used to is the weather, when it gets dark so early and you’ve just got to grit it out.
“But the club have put a lot of belief in me and now it’s my time to repay them. I was very lucky as a young kid to have a lot of senior players put a lot of time into me, so it’s good to give back by helping the young boys who are coming through.”
Field’s first season in England in 2021 was one to forget as he lasted 19 minutes of his debut against Salford before tearing a hamstring that kept him out for five months and saw him make just four appearances.
But his first try on the opening day of the 2022 campaign – coincidentally against Grand Final opponents Hull KR – gave his Super League career lift-off, and Field finished up with a Challenge Cup winners’ medal, a Dream Team slot and plaudits across the board for his explosive style of play.
Another injury during this season’s Challenge Cup win over Warrington reduced his impact on Wigan’s successful defence of their domestic title, but Field does not begrudge his compatriot Bevan French from soaking up a large proportion of the acclaim.
“Nothing surprises me with Bevan any more,” said Field of his team-mate’s latest audacious try in their semi-final thrashing of Leigh. “I’ve seen him do it so many times in training and in games that now I just laugh at him.
“Our generation in Australia grew up watching players like Benji Marshall and Shaun Johnson, players who had that wow factor, and Bevan is no different. He does things that make every young kid in Wigan want to run around and be Bevan French.”
Wigan, who are hopeful veteran captain Liam Farrell will be fit after missing the Leigh game with a virus, will start narrow favourites as they look to become the first English club to claim the quadruple of Grand Final, Challenge Cup, League Leaders’ Shield and World Club Challenge in the same season.
But Field, who was part of the Wigan side sunk by Rovers in last year’s Challenge Cup semi-final and the line-up that clawed a four-point win in their most recent meeting earlier last month, has seen enough to take nothing for granted.
“I’ve been really impressed with Rovers, they’ve been one of the most consistent teams all year and they play good solid footy and it should make a good Grand Final,” added Field.
“In Mikey Lewis they’ve got a deserving Man of Steel and they will bring something different to the final. They’ve knocked us out of the Cup before and we’ve come back and beaten them, so this is where we get to settle it.”
