The astonishing numbers behind Wigan academy impact on Super League after two more debuts

Wigan Warriors’ legendary academy produced two more Super League players on Saturday afternoon, with debuts for Josh Cartwright and George Marsden.

It appears at least one new star has been born too, with Marsden excelling on his first start at half-back in the victory over Bradford Bulls – alongside another product of the Warriors’ academy in Jack Farrimond.

An incredible ten of the 17 Wigan players who took to the field on Saturday were products of their academy setup, underlining just how important the junior pathway is to the Warriors – and why it should be more important across the whole game.

But Wigan undisputedly lead the way across Super League when it comes to junior development, a point which is hammered home even further when you look at the impact the system has across squads all over the league.

The Warriors have 15 players in their first-team squad this season from their academy system who have made at least one competitive appearances – but there are another 24 playing for other teams too.

They include some of the competition’s best players such as England captain George Williams, and Hull KR stars including Joe Burgess, Tom Davies and Oliver Gildart.

And when you look across Super League at the overall numbers, it makes Wigan’s contribution to the game even more eye-watering.

So far in 2026, 371 players have featured in at least one game in Super League. 115 of those are overseas players meaning that there are 256 British or French players on that list.

Wigan’s academy has produced an incredible 39 of those, well over 15 per cent of the whole player pool in Super League being produced by one club. If you were to look at solely English academies, Wigan lead the way by a distance – although the likes of Leeds Rhinos and St Helens are also doing exceptional work on the development front.

But it begs the question: should Super League give more dispensation to the clubs doing the best work on the player development front?

Current Wigan players from academy: Zach Eckersley, Liam Farrell, Jack Farrimond, Tom Forber, Ethan Havard, Noah Hodkinson, Liam Marshall, Junior Nsemba, Brad O’Neill, Ollie Partington, Harry Smith, Taylor Kerr, Josh Cartwright, George Marsden, Kian McDermott.

Former Wigan players from academy: Amir Bourouh, Joe Bretherton, Joe Burgess, Liam Byrne, Josh Charnley, Tom Davies, Oliver Gildart, Sam Halsall, Chris Hankinson, Harvie Hill, Joe Mellor, James McDonnell, Sam Powell, Harry Rushton, Joe Shorrocks, Jake Shorrocks, Ryan Sutton, George Williams, Harvey Wilson, Ryan Brown, Jacob Douglas, Umyla Hanley, Jack Hughes.