Wigan prop Ben Flower will make his return from a six-month suspension on Thursday when his side takes on Warrington.
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The Welshman became the first man to be sent-off in a Super League grand final after punching Lance Hohaia and then attacking him whilst he lay on the ground.
Flower was handed the longest ban in Super League history for the sickening attack and faced a barrage of criticism from rugby league fans.
Wigan coach Shaun Wane says Flower has served his time and now deserves a second chance.
“He’s more than served his sentence,” Wane told the BBC.
“He let his teammates down and we lost a grand final through it. If he’d stayed on we’d have won by 30 points and that, in itself, is a lot for a player to carry.”
In an interview with The Guardian, the 27-year-old told of his regret over the situation but said he was very much looking forward to his return.
“Ninety per cent of my time at Wigan has been good. Ten per cent has been real bad. But what I do next will define me,” Flower said.
“Hopefully people can look at what I did in the Grand Final and say, ‘Yes, he did that … but look at what else he did in his career. He did a lot of good as well.”
Flower has made 69 appearances for Wigan since joining the club in 2012.
The 27-year-old has also featured for Wales at Test level, earning 16 caps since making his debut in 2008.
Watch Flower’s brutal attack in 2014 Super League grand final below:
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