WARRINGTON 6 WIGAN 12

AS Wigan’s victorious players milked the applause of their jubilant supporters, John Bateman was busy embracing his family pitch-side.

There were hugs for daughter Millie, big brother Kyle and other members of his loved ones.

Moments later, Bateman was lifted off his feet by head coach Shaun Wane before acknowledging the adoring crowd with several fist pumps and then joining in the celebrations with his team-mates.

This was why the Bradford-born star quit the Bulls and signed for Wigan at the end of 2013.

To taste success on the highest stage. To become a champion.

As a youngster, Bateman watched the all-conquering Bulls side of yesteryear win Grand Finals at Old Trafford.

Several members of the 2003 treble-winning Bradford team were present on Saturday, including Paul Deacon, Mike Forshaw, Stuart Fielden and Rob Parker.

Bateman had been on the losing side when Wigan lost to St Helens and Leeds in the previous two Grand Finals.

This was the first major trophy of his career and more are likely to follow in the coming years.

After a difficult season which has seen them deprived of key players through injury, Wigan ended it on a glorious high.

Warrington led 6-2 at half-time thanks to a try from Declan Patton, who dummied his way through the Wigan defence from close range.

Bateman admitted he was partly at fault in allowing Patton to score but the 23-year-old and indeed his team grew into the game.

In the 55th minute, Liam Farrell, who won the Harry Sunderland Trophy as the game’s outstanding player, drove through the heart of the Wolves defence inside the left channel before sending the supporting Oliver Gildart racing clear.

The centre’s unconverted try levelled things up at 6-6 before Wigan sealed victory eight minutes later.

Dan Sarginson, deployed at full back in the absence of the injured Sam Tomkins, sent a clever grubber kick into the right corner and Josh Charnley pounced to touch down in clinical fashion.

That was enough to hand Wigan their fourth Super League title and secure a fairytale finish for Sarginson and Charnley, who will now join Gold Coast Titans and Sale Sharks respectively.

Bateman said with a huge smile: “It’s a weird, surreal feeling but one of the best things ever, up there with having my little girl.

“That first try was my fault and that really got to me at half-time. I had to go back to basics second half and strip it right down.

“I just wanted to get my hands on the ball as I didn’t feel like I really felt it much in the first half. I just wanted to enjoy it more.

“When Josh went over, I was like ‘get in there! Just hold out now, try hold out as long as we can’ and we did.

“When we tackled Kurt Gidley on the line we had one minute left and we just said ‘take ten seconds to play the ball and we’d won it.’

“You have the previous Grand Final defeats in the back of your mind but we’d spoken about it and it’s just another game.

“We play the same game week in, week out and to play the same game is all we needed to do. You’re on grass whatever.

“We did that and it got us the result in the end. We worked hard for each other and I don’t think anyone was going to stop us.”

Bateman will be named in the England squad for the Four Nations but he is spending today with his daughter Millie on her seventh birthday.

The second-rower added: “It’s one of the best things having her to witness that victory and my family, too. It’s fantastic.”