Bevan French tipped to ‘light up the NRL’ by Grand Final winner, Origin icon
Bevan French celebrates Wigan Warriors' 2024 Super League Grand Final triumph against Hull KR
Wigan Warriors superstar Bevan French has been tipped to ‘light up the NRL’ by State of Origin icon Mitchell Pearce, branding him the best in Super League ‘by a mile’.
French, who made 47 appearances for Parramatta Eels before making the move over to Super League with Wigan in 2019, missed out on the Man of Steel award in 2024.
Having scooped that accolade the year prior, that’s just about the only thing he missed out on in the season just gone though, with the Warriors winning all four major honours on offer.
In February’s World Club Challenge triumph against Penrith Panthers, June’s Challenge Cup final victory against Warrington Wolves and October’s Grand Final success against Hull KR, the playmaker was also named the Player of the Match.
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Bevan French tipped to ‘light up the NRL’ by Grand Final winner, Origin icon
The New South Wales native – who will turn 29 in January – has now scored 99 tries in 115 appearances across all competitions for Wigan, with reports linking him with a return to the NRL seemingly non-stop.
And though there’s no suggestion any such move will happen anytime soon with French tied down by the Warriors until the end of the 2028 campaign, 2013 NRL Grand Final winner Pearce believes the half-back would shine Down Under.
Pearce – whose own career saw him make over 350 appearances as he donned a shirt for Sydney Roosters, Newcastle Knights and Catalans Dragons as well as New South Wales in Origin – was speaking on The SmartB Sports Podcast.
The Sydney native said: “Bevan French, for anyone who hasn’t been watching Super League, I went to the Grand Final this year where he was man of the match and played against him when I was over there, he’s unbelievable over there.
“Obviously he played at Parramatta when he was in the NRL, he was only a young kid. He’s gone over to Super League and honestly some of the stuff, if you get the chance to watch his highlights on YouTube, he’s unbelievable.”
35-year-old Pearce played against French three times during his stint in Super League with Catalans, including in the 2023 Grand Final which saw Wigan beat the Dragons 9-2.
He continued: “All those instincts; he’s the best player over there by a mile, and he’s got a great combination with Jai Field there.
“If Bevan French was ever open to going back to the NRL, whether (St George Illawarra) Dragons or another club, I reckon you’d get some pretty good footy out of him.
“I’d love to see him come back. He’d light up the NRL, I think.”
