BY JOHN DAVIDSON
Wigan winger Abbas Miski has slammed reports that he was set to retire, calling them “bullshit”, and says he is targeting another couple of titles in his time with the Warriors.
Miski has struggled this season with injury, battling knee surgery and a rib cartilage problem, and only played 10 of 27 regular season games.
His absence led to rumours that he was going to retire, but the 30-year-old insists they were wrong.
“No, it’s complete bullshit,” Miski told rugbyleaguehub.com Long Reads.
“I’ve got two years left and I’m keen to see it out. There’s a lot of crazy rumours that go around, it is what it is.
“I’m definitely not retiring. Three grand finals in a row, hopefully I can make it five by the end of my career.”
Miski admits it has been a difficult year for him, coming back from injury and making his way back into Wigan’s first-team.
“It has been a tough year,” the Australian said.
“You have those seasons sometimes. Thankfully, I’ve almost gone my whole career playing without much injuries, and then sometimes when it rains it pours. It’s part of the game.
“Luckily, I’ve got really good physio and coaching staff with me. It’s been one of those years where I look back and still say that I’m going to play in a grand final, which is great.”
The Warriors were also criticised for a form dip mid-season when they lost matches to Wakefield, Hull FC and Leigh.
But the defending champions finished the regular season strongly, grabbing second spot, knocking off the Leopards in the semi-final to book their place in the Super League grand final.
“There’s obviously a lot of work that goes into it,” Miski said.
“Everyone at the club, from top to bottom, does their bit and thankfully we’ve had the results and we keep getting them.
“I don’t have social media, so I don’t pay attention to criticism. The noise from the outside, everyone’s entitled to their own opinion, but it’s never going to be perfect.
“It’s a rollercoaster of a season and you have to go through the ups and downs. I feel like we do that well as a club, we’ve got really good leaders, a really good coaching staff that keeps us on the right path.
“I guess you don’t know how a season’s going until you look back in retrospect. Hopefully we can look back at the end of this season and say the downs were worth it because we’ve succeeded.
Miski grew up in Sydney and left his native Australia to join the London Broncos in 2021.
In 2022 the winger moved to Wigan where he has helped the club win two grand finals, two League Leader’s Shields, two Challenge Cups and a World Club Challenge in the past four years.
Miski is one of seven children, and while none of his family expected to be in the stands at Old Trafford tomorrow, his large extended family will be cheering him from the southern hemisphere.
“I’m one of seven, there’s five boys and two girls, and about 15 nephews and nieces,” he explained.
“I’ll have a lot of long-distance support. Hopefully I can finish the season on a high and go back and celebrate with them.
“My parents just want to see me happy. Whether we win or whether we lose, they’re going to be the same regardless. That’s what’s nice about family.
“Hopefully it’s the cherry on top, we win and I take some silverware back with me.”