And the Kiwi is one of only two players to captain a Challenge Cup-winning side on three successive occasions.

But he says he found it difficult to come to terms with his first appearance at Wembley in 1988.

Here, he comes tells BBC Sport about the pressures of being Wigan skipper:

"To play in a Challenge Cup Final probably means more to a lad from New Zealand than one from Britain.

"That's because us Kiwis grew up watching the final on TV in the middle of the night.

"We all wanted to play in the match but never believed we ever would.

"Cec Mountford, the great New Zealand stand-off, played for Wigan at Wembley.

"And I can recall watching James Leuluai, Dane O'Hara, Fred Ah Kuoi and Gary Kemble playing for Hull.

The 1993 final against Widnes was the most memorable for me... not only did I captain the team, I also won the Lance Todd Trophy Dean Bell

"I wanted to emulate them but thought the closest I would get to the final was watching it on television.

"I finally made it in 1988, when Wigan met Halifax.

"I couldn't come to terms with the noise, the colour and the atmosphere as I stood in the tunnel.

"Then when I walked out onto the pitch there seemed to be an explosion of light and my feet felt as though they weren't touching the ground.

"I thought to myself, this is what the game is all about - and I've never wavered from that belief.

"The first time I captained Wigan in a final - in 1992 against Castleford - was a special occasion for me.

"But I really felt the pressure given I was following on from Ellery Hanley and in the wake of four successive wins.

"So when I got to hold the trophy up at the end of the match, my feelings were more of relief than joy.

"We were not as fresh as we could have been against Cas because of a backlog of fixtures, but a couple of pieces of magic from Martin Offiah proved crucial.

"Wigan were lucky. We had a lot of players who could do things nobody could coach.

"Players like Edwards, Gregory and Lydon could play a game in any way they wanted.

"They could play adventurous, expansive rugby or they could knuckle down and play with some steel.

"The 1993 final against Widnes was the most memorable for me. Not only did I captain the team, I also won the Lance Todd Trophy, becoming only the second Kiwi to win the award with Wigan after Cec Mountford.

"I had always wanted to win the man of the match award.

"But it usually went to a player who handled the ball a lot - and it was always difficult to get the ball off Edwards, Gregory and Hanley.

"To lift the trophy for a third successive time put the seal on my career. I always thought the match would be my last game for Wigan - and it was.

"I had suffered a lot of injuries during the season and felt the time was right for me to call it a day."