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 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.”
