Bevan French has been left basking in arguably the greatest week of his rugby league life, but doing so around the presence of customary warm lagers in Wigan pubs all the while his mob viewed his premiership win from around 17,000 kilometres away in Tingha.

"It's five or six in the morning there, and everyone will be having beers," French told largely British reporters in Manchester moments after the win.

"I hope they're up enjoying it as much as we are."

The one-time, underrated Parramatta winger was never fully appreciated after falling short of scaling the heights of stardom French has risen since his departure in 2019.

But the Gomeroi man from Ngoorabul country in northern New South Wales is certainly the toast of Europe's Super League after raising his glass to a couple of career firsts.

"The celebrations have gone on longer than the game," French further joked.

The culmination came from Wigan's triumphant return to premiership glory since French, five seasons ago, joined the traditional English rugby league powerhouse.

The 10-2 grand final victory over Catalans – the only Super League side from France – was the Warriors' first title since 2018, sixth in the past 27 Super League seasons and the 23rd after the club's maiden win in 1909.

In front of a packed out Old Trafford, French looked like he scored the game's opening try in the 49th minute on Sunday.

The nephew of Nathan Blacklock had touched down in the corner in the tight tussle, only propagating the emerging love of Wigan fans have for the Aboriginal flyer.

But all the merriment was quickly cast aside after a forward pass was detected from earlier in the play.

The 27-year-old did not have long to celebrate again, Wigan crossing the line for real in the 53rd minute in the only try of the 2023 showpiece.

The side story of the bargain re-signing of last year was also very much the narrative of the club's recent fortunes.

The perseverance of a player that over the years has had to overcome more than just a few setbacks was finally rewarded.

The last grand final was in the 2020 heartbreaking 8-4 defeat to archrivals St Helens.

French told BBC Radio 5 that the narrow loss made this nearly-as-close win just "so much sweeter".

"As bad as it was, I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason," he added.

"In a way that tough grand final loss made me."

French was later out of action for 10 months and only returned to the field in March 2022 after recovering from a serious hamstring tear.

That did not nullify his pace on the wing, amassing 31 tries last year, including a near unheard of record of seven against Hull FC, to be named the leading tryscorer for the Super League season.

"That tough year, the following year with the injury and the off-field crisis, and all the stuff like that has made me and got me to this point now," he said.

Banter between teammates, rivals, stretching to remarks from TV commentators and onto supporters in the stands that French was the playing like the man of steel was this year proven closer to the truth.

French, who additionally had also played fullback for Wigan, answered the call to fill a midseason void in the unknown five-eighth position.

The extra responsibility still produced 17 tries for the famous Cherry and Whites, but he also significantly gathered a season-best 30 score assists.

It did not take long for this game-changer to be recognised after leading his teammates also to a piece of League Leaders' Shield silverware.

The former Inverell Hawks junior, who nearly returned to Australia to sign for Newcastle this year, was nominated and then won the prestigious Man of Steel award.

The Super League equivalent of the Dally M Medal for the NRL's season's player of the year capped off back-to-back winners from Australia when Salford halfback Brodie Croft, a past Melbourne Storm and Brisbane Broncos utility, claimed the 2022 honour.

French is one of nine Australians to take home the individual gong, named in perpetuity over the past decade since the shock death of Super League star Steve Prescott.

But he is only the second Indigenous Australian recipient behind Ben Barba, in 2018, while playing for St Helens.

"It is just a massive honour – I've been inside all night looking at that list," French said at the awards night in Manchester last week.

"The amount of great people that have won it before me, it's only now starting to sink in that your name is on the same list of those kind of players.

"I've been in a few positions (this year), but it kind of helps when everyone else has been great around you."

He also goes into the club's history books as one of 12 past Wigan heroes to win, and the first since Sam Tonkins in 2012 – ironically a grand final opponent for Catalans.

French was, perhaps unsurprisingly, named in the Super League dream team of the year in the same No.6 stand-off role at the same awards night in Manchester.