# 2006 Wigan Warriors season

The Wigan Warriors played in the Super League and Challenge Cup in the 2006 season.

## Statistics

Tries
| # | Name | Tries |
| 1 | Chris Ashton | 15 |
| 2 | Pat Richards | 12 |
| 3 | Brett Dallas | 10 |
| 4 | Bryan Fletcher | 10 |
| 4 | Sean O'Loughlin | 10 |
Goals
| # | Name | Goals |
| 1 | Michael Dobson | 57 |
| 2 | Danny Tickle | 33 |
| 3 | Pat Richards | 12 |
| 4 | Danny Orr | 5 |
| 5 | Denis Moran | 1 |
Points
| # | Name | Points |
| 1 | Michael Dobson | 134 |
| 2 | Danny Tickle | 78 |
| 3 | Pat Richards | 72 |
| 4 | Chris Ashton | 60 |
| 5 | Brett Dallas | 40 |
Appearances
| # | Name | Appearances |
| 1 | Sean O'Loughlin | 30 |
| 2 | Chris Ashton | 29 |
| 3 | Mickey Higham | 29 |
| 4 | Danny Orr | 26 |
| 5 | Pat Richards | 26 |

## 2006 squad

| Number | Player | Position | Previous club |
| 1 | Kris Radlinski | Full back | Wigan Warriors Youth Development |
| 2 | Mark Calderwood | Winger | Leeds Rhinos |
| 3 | Pat Richards | Centre | Wests Tigers |
| 4 | David Vaealiki | Centre | Parramatta Eels |
| 5 | Brett Dallas | Winger | North Sydney Bears |
| 6 | Danny Orr | Stand off | Castleford Tigers |
| 7 | Denis Moran | Scrum half | London Broncos |
| 8 | Scott Logan | Prop | South Sydney Rabbitohs |
| 9 | Mickey Higham | Hooker | Bradford Bulls |
| 10 | Iafeta Paleaaesina | Prop | New Zealand Warriors |
| 11 | Gareth Hock | Second rower | Wigan Warriors Youth Development |
| 12 | Bryan Fletcher | Second rower | South Sydney Rabbitohs |
| 13 | Sean O'Loughlin | Loose forward | Wigan Warriors Youth Development |
| 14 | Kevin Brown | Stand off | Wigan Warriors Youth Development |
| 15 | Danny Tickle | Second rower | Halifax |
| 16 | Bryn Hargreaves | Prop | Wigan Warriors Youth Development |
| 17 | Jerry Seu Seu | Prop | New Zealand Warriors |
| 18 | Wayne Godwin | Hooker | Castleford Tigers |
| 19 | Harrison Hansen | Second rower | Wigan Warriors Youth Development |
| 20 | Michael Dobson | Scrum half | Canberra Raiders |
| 21 | Chris Melling | Winger | Wigan Warriors Youth Development |
| 22 | Joel Tomkins | Second rower | Wigan Warriors Youth Development |
| 23 | Paul Prescott | Prop | Wigan Warriors Youth Development |
| 24 | Darrell Goulding | Centre | Wigan Warriors Youth Development |
| 25 | Sean Gleeson | Centre | Wigan Warriors Youth Development |
| 26 | John Walker | Centre | Wigan Warriors Youth Development |
| 27 | Thomas Coyle | Scrum half | Wigan Warriors Youth Development |
| 28 | Michael McIlorum | Hooker | Wigan Warriors Youth Development |
| 29 | Chris Ashton | Full back | Wigan Warriors Youth Development |
| 30 | Liam Colbon | Winger | Wigan Warriors Youth Development |
| 31 | Tim Jonkers | Second rower | Salford City Reds |
| 32 | Oliver Wilkes | Prop | Whitehaven |
| 33 | Eamon O'Carroll | Prop | Wigan Warriors Youth Development |
| 35 | Nathan McAvoy | Centre | Leeds Rhinos |
| 36 | Danny Hill | Second rower | Hull |
| 37 | Stuart Fielden | Prop | Bradford Bulls |

## Key players

Key players for Wigan Warriors in 2006 were:
* Chris Ashton was brought in to the Wigan squad at the start of 2006 as replacement for the injured Kris Radlinski. Ashton had impressed on his debut for Wigan in 2005, scoring two tries against Huddersfield Giants but in 2006 he showed good skill, pace and talent and impressed many Wigan fans and people within rugby league. He finished the 2006 season as the leading try scorer at Wigan and his support play throughout the season was excellent. Although some criticism was made about his defensive abilities, he did earn a call into the England squad at the end of the year. Ashton was one of the most consistent players for Wigan through the 2006 and was a contender for the Young Player of the Year award.
* Michael Dobson was signed by Wigan after his loan finished with Catalans Dragons as a replacement for Denis Moran, who had been released by Wigan a week earlier. Dobson had impressed for Catalans Dragons, but when he signed for Wigan, they were at the bottom of the league and facing relegation at the end of the season. His talents, organisation skills and goal kicking were a big factor in Wigan surviving relegation. In 2006 Michael Dobson was the most consistent goal kicker in Rugby League.
* Stuart Fielden signed for Wigan from Bradford Bulls on 22 June 2006 for a Super League record transfer fee of £450,000. Fielden was regarded as one of the best props in the world by many, and his influence in the Wigan team could clearly be seen. He was strong in both attack and defence and offered leadership and inspiration to the rest of the Wigan players. Fielden was one of the main reasons that Wigan avoided relegation in 2006; not only did he provide a physical presence on the pitch, he offered new hope to Wigan fans and players.

## Transfers

2006 transfer (in)
| Name | Signed from | Fee | Date |
| Pat Richards | Wests Tigers | 2005 | |
| Iafeta Paleaaesina | New Zealand Warriors | 2005 | |
| Scott Logan | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 2005 | |
| Bryan Fletcher | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 2005 | |
| Mark Calderwood | Leeds Rhinos | 2005 | |
| Mickey Higham | Bradford Bulls | 2005 | |
| Michael Dobson | Canberra Raiders | 2006 | |
| Oliver Wilkes | Whitehaven | 2006 | |
| Jordan James | Swinton Lions | 2006 | |
| Nathan McAvoy | Leeds Rhinos | 2006 | |
| Danny Hill | Hull | 2006 | |
| Stuart Fielden | Bradford Bulls | £450,000 | 2006 |
2006 transfer (out)
| Name | Sold To | Fee |
| Steven Wild | Huddersfield Giants | 2005 |
| Martin Aspinwall | Huddersfield Giants | 2005 |
| Brian Carney | Newcastle Knights | 2005 |
| Terry Newton | Bradford Bulls | 2005 |
| Jerome Guisset | Catalans Dragons | 2005 |
| Andrew Farrell | Saracens F.C. | 2005 |
| David Allen | Widnes Vikings | 2005 |
| Bob Beswick | Widnes Vikings | 2005 |
| James Coyle | Widnes Vikings | 2005 |
| Desi Williams | Hull Kingston Rovers | 2005 |
| Liam Botham | Retired | 2005 |
| Lee Jewitt | Cronulla Sharks | 2005 |
| Denis Moran | Released | 2006 |
| Jerry Seu Seu | Retired | 2006 |
| Jordan James | Widnes Vikings | 2006 |
| Kevin Brown | Huddersfield Giants | 2006 |
| Kris Radlinski | Retired | 2006 |
| Scott Logan | Canberra Raiders | 2006 |
| Michael Dobson | Canberra Raiders | 2006 |
| Wayne Godwin | Hull | 2006 |
| Danny Tickle | Hull | 2006 |
| Bryn Hargreaves | St. Helens | 2006 |
| Oliver Wilkes | Widnes Vikings | 2006 |
| Chris Melling | Harlequins RL | 2006 |
2006 loans (in)
| Name | Signed from | Loan started | Loan ended |
| Tim Jonkers | Salford City Reds | March 2006 | May 2006 |
2006 loans (out)
| Name | Loan to | Loan started | Loan ended |
| Bryn Hargreaves | Leigh Centurions | June 2006 | September 2006 |
| Paul Prescott | Leigh Centurions | June 2006 | September 2006 |
| Jordan James | Widnes Vikings | May 2006 | September 2006 |
| Oliver Wilkes | Widnes Vikings | May 2006 | September 2006 |
| Kevin Brown | Huddersfield Giants | June 2006 | September 2006 |

## Staff

* Chief executive – Carol Banks
* Chief administrator – Mary Sharkey
* Head coach – Brian Noble
* Head coach – Ian Millward (sacked April 2006)
* Chairman – Maurice P. Lindsay