Ellis analysed Yeo role to flourish as Wigan lock

Kaide Ellis has starred in the number 13 shirt for Wigan Warriors, following in the footsteps of former loose forwards Ellery Hanley, Andy Farrell and Sean O'Loughlin

Wigan Warriors loose forward Kaide Ellis says he has analysed the role of Penrith Panthers' Isaah Yeo in the position having played at number 13 in 2024.

Ellis, 28, is best friends with Yeo and the talismanic Panthers forward won a fourth consecutive NRL title last weekend.

Meanwhile Ellis, who had initially played mostly as a prop prior to this term, heads into Saturday's Super League Grand Final on the verge of becoming part of a side to win all four trophies in a season for the first time in the Super League era.

"We've got very different styles of 13s but anything I can take away is going help me massively," Ellis told BBC Sport.

"I watch him every week and little details in his game, mixing up between passing and running - he does it better than anyone."

Yeo and Ellis have followed a similar trajectory with their recent successes, but despite Wigan's dominance in the northern hemisphere, Ellis says they have a way to go to top the Panthers' success.

That is despite the fact they defeated Penrith in this season's World Club Challenge to prove their own credentials.

"Watching [the 2024 NRL Grand Final], I messaged him straight after and said 'It's starting to get a little bit silly now' with how much they're winning and dominating," Ellis added.

"This is a back-to-back final for us but that seems like nothing compared to winning four in a row."

Wigan advanced to another Grand Final - the 13th in their history - courtesy of a 38-0 thrashing of Leigh Leopards.

Of the six tries the Warriors scored in their thumping win, one stood out.

Talismanic half-back Bevan French scored an audacious try, pirouetting and working into space, wrongfooting a formidable Leigh defence to race through on to his own grubber kick to touch down.

One-hundred appearances into his Wigan career, French has taken the league by storm and added the 2023 Man of Steel to his list of honours last term on the way to winning the Grand Final.

Were it not for injury, French likely would have been in the picture for this season's Man of Steel award, but he is grounded in his assessment of his remarkable try despite many tipping him as one of the standout players of the current era.

"It's all off the cuff and reactive, instinctive rugby league, and if it comes down to anything it's just the way I grew up playing rugby back home," French told the BBC 5 Live Rugby League Podcast.

"Growing up in the rural parts of Australia there was no system or gameplan, it was one team against the other trying to score every play."