LONDON: Willie Isa has heard all the tales about Wembley and the Challenge Cup – now the Wigan Warrior is desperate to write his own chapter in the tournament’s history by reaching next month’s final.
In fact the New Zealander admits that Wembley dates and silverware were the main reason behind his switch from Widnes to Wigan.
If he wants a big day out in the final at Wembley, Isa will have to help his Wigan team reverse their fortunes after a mini-slump which has seen them lose to Leeds and then St Helens in a feisty derby last weekend.
And with Hull FC, Super League leaders at the end of the regular season, standing in their way for a semi-final in Doncaster on Friday, he’s expecting a tough battle.
“It’s probably the reason I signed at Wigan, when I came here I wanted to do the best for the club so I could have my own day at Wembley,” Isa said.
“There are always people telling me about their experiences in the Challenge Cup, I want to make my own memories that I can tell people about when I am older.
“It’s important for the club, and really important for me, and it makes it easier to move on from last week.
“It’s very easy to forget about the St Helens game when you’ve got a match as important as this coming up.
“The last couple of weeks weren’t the best but we’ll be ready. Hull have been going very well and they beat us at the DW (Stadium) so we’ll have to be at our best.”
The semi-finals see the league’s top three teams in action, as Warrington join Hull and Wigan, but despite sitting eighth in the league before the Super 8s, Wakefield’s Tinirau Arona is confident Trinity can spring a surprise.
Their preparation was far from ideal, with a thumping home loss to Castleford last weekend, but Arona has a secret weapon which he hopes will pay off.
“My family hasn’t been along to many games in the Challenge Cup so far, and this weekend they are all flying off to Spain with my mother-in-law,” he said.
“It’s worked out quite well for us so far and if we get through to the final I guess they’ll have to watch the game in the hotel down in London!”
He added: “I didn’t know much about the Challenge Cup before I came over but you realise how important it is to people.
“Obviously at Wakefield we’ve not had that much success recently, and there are a lot of black and white photos on the wall so it would be nice if we could change that and give the fans a win.”
Meanwhile Salford owner Marwan Koukash has revealed he will decide whether to continue in the sport at the end of the season after a difficult campaign.
“The immediate future is we just need to concentrate on ensuring we’ve got Super League status,” said Koukash, whose team were deducted six points for salary cap breaches.
“My family suffered recently and I just need that time to think it over. I’ll decide at the end of the season what I will do.”
Challenge Cup semi-finals:
Friday:
Hull FC v Wigan (1900 GMT)
Saturday:
Warrington v Wakefield Trinity (1330 GMT) -- AFP