Brothers running out alongside each other at Wembley is not an unusual occurrence.
In the recent past Warrington’s Vinnie and Louie Anderson have, Sam, Joel and Logan Tomkins followed suit at Wigan, and Wolves duo Joel and Michael Monaghan also did it. Going back further Bob and Kevin Beardmore ran out alongside each other as Castleford beat Hull Kingston Rovers in the 1986 Wembley final.
But Shaniah and Tiana Power are set to create another bit of history as they prepare to become the first sisters to take to the Wembley turf when Wigan Warriors face St Helens.
For the Australians, the chance just to feature in a Betfred Challenge Cup Final is special enough, let alone having the chance to etch their names in the record books no matter what the result.
“Honestly, that would be unreal,” says Shaniah, initially unaware of the milestone they could be about to create.
“The whole motivation of moving over here and joining Wigan was knowing that Tiana was going to come with me. If the club had said no to her joining me over here I wouldn’t have come.
“So I’m just glad we got the chance to play alongside each other, but if we get to do that at Wembley that would be pretty special.”
Tiana adds: “The biggest thing about getting that semi-final win and getting to Wembley means that the sacrifices we’ve made, and missing out family, will be worth it. And doing it alongside Shaniah will make it even more special.”
While Shaniah has been one of Wigan’s stand out forwards so far this year and will no doubt be one of the first names on Denis Betts’ team sheet for the first Saints showdown of the year, Tiana will have faced a much tougher fight if she is to run out under the arch.
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Having impressed with two tries in each of the opening two group games, 24-year-old centre Tiana missed out on selection for the quarter-final due to illness. The return in the backs of prolific try-scorer Anna Davies ahead of the semi-final victory over Leeds saw the younger sibling watching on from the sidelines as 18th woman.
But with Davies then missing the next couple of league games with a niggling hip injury, Tiana got another opportunity to shine with impressive performances against both York and Barrow. The disappointment she tasted after missing out on that monumental 44-14 semi-final victory is something she doesn’t want to experience again, and it has spurred her on to try and keep her place in the team for today’s showdown.
“Being 18th woman for the semi-final was still a big opportunity for me to be out there with my team, being part of the whole process and supporting the girls from the bench,” says Tiana.
“Although we’re one team and work together as one team, I want to be out there at Wembley and be in that squad, so missing out on playing in the semi-final has definitely made me hungry to get the spot in the team for the final.”
But back to matters in hand - the Power sisters’ first experience of the Wigan versus St Helens rivalry. They might not have been too aware of the history between the two clubs, or even the Wigan club’s long and illustrious association within this competition, before they arrived. But they are quickly getting a sense of what a win would mean to all associated with the Warriors.
“We were determined when we came over that we were getting three trophies this year,” says Tiana.
“We could see the potential in these girls when we came over. There is so much talent in this team, especially for such young girls, but we all have faith in each other that we went out there against Leeds feeling confident.
“Just seeing the raw emotion of the girls as they were coming off the field showed me how important this competition is to them. We didn’t know too much about it coming from Australia but could see how much that win meant to them.
“I am just really grateful to be part of this team and to be able to go to Wembley is awesome.”
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Shaniah adds: “Not knowing much of the history surrounding the competition and Wigan’s history in it does take the pressure off us a bit.
“Yes, it’s a Cup Final, but to us it’s just another game, whereas a lot of the other girls are maybe thinking ‘gosh, we’ve not been in a Grand Final before and it’s at Wembley’, so their emotions will probably be a lot more heightened than ours. I am really excited for them, but hopefully we can also be a bit of a calming influence on them.
“There has only ever been two women’s matches played at Wembley and Saints won them both so they might turn up a bit complacent of doing it again. But the pressure will be on them to win and keep their run going, meaning there will be no pressure on our girls and hopefully we can go into the game knowing that.
“Since coming over we’ve already heard plenty about the St Helens team and the rivalry between the two sides. So we know what it means to be going up against them.
“We know it’ll be a real dog fight, but hopefully we’ll be the bigger dogs.”
Fox League will broadcast the Betfred Women’s Challenge Cup Final, which this year has its strongest ever Australian interest following Wigan’s recruitment of Remi Wilton, Emily Veivers and the Power sisters, Shaniah and Tiana. Coverage begins at 8.45pm Saturday AEST, followed by the men's Challenge Cup final between Hull KR and Warrington.
