Now promoted into the first-team squad ahead of the 2026 season – and assigned the number 33 – the 19-year-old is taking his first steps as a full-time professional, determined to be known for his own qualities.
After signing for the Warriors in 2022 and progressing through the academy and reserves, O’Loughlin now finds himself training full-time alongside Super League stars, living out what he admits still feels surreal.
“Over the last two years, I’d been doing the odd day with the first-team every now and again when I was asked,” O’Loughlin told Wigan Today.
“But this is my first year being signed on as full-time, and I’m loving it here at the moment. All the boys, it’s just good craic – it’s like a dream job, really.”
O’Loughlin’s rugby league journey began in the community game, with his first steps coming at Orrell St James, where he started playing as early as reception age.
“That was my first junior club,” he explained. “I wouldn’t have left Orrell, but my team folded, so I went to Wigan St Judes because that’s where all my high school mates were playing.”
Alongside his junior rugby, O’Loughlin represented St John Fisher Catholic High School, gradually finding his feet in the game without rushing to be in a professional system.
“I didn’t do a first-year scholarship like some of the other lads,” he said. “I signed on at the end of the second year, then signed for the academy after that, did two years in the academy, then a year in the Reserves – and now I’m here in the first-team.”
That steady progression reflects a player who understands patience, something he attributes partly to his physical development. Unlike some young prospects who dominate early, O’Loughlin describes himself as a late bloomer.
“Yeah, definitely,” he admitted. “When I was really young, I was one of the taller and faster lads, and then all of a sudden everyone overtook me and was bigger and stronger than me!
“But as I caught up, that’s when I got more confidence. Throughout the academy, gym-wise, I started lifting heavy weights, and I think that helps your progression massively at that age.”
The physical transformation has paid dividends for O’Loughlin. Once a lightweight winger when he first joined the academy, his physical gains have seen him evolve into a back-rower or centre.
“I think I’ve put on around eight kilos over the last year,” O’Loughlin laughed. “From the first year I was in the academy, I think I’ve put on like 30 kilos! I was about 62 kilos when I first signed up in the academy on the wing, and now I’m 90 kilos in the back-row!”
O’Loughlin is comfortable playing on the edge of the forward pack or in the outside-backs, and he is open-minded about where his future may lie positionally.
“I’m a back-rower or centre,” he said. “I played most of my games in the back-row last year, but I like playing both positions, to be fair. I enjoy them both, so I’m open-minded about developing in both.”
Of course, carrying the O’Loughlin surname at Wigan inevitably brings attention.
George is the son of club legend and current assistant coach Sean O’Loughlin, but he insists there is no preferential treatment – if anything, it can be worse!
“I don’t get any special treatment, definitely not!” O’Loughlin laughed. “We don’t really talk about rugby away from training, and I think it’s best like that. It’s best for both of us.”
Growing up around the club, Wigan Warriors have always been part of his world – even if, as a young boy, he didn’t fully appreciate just how special that environment was.
“Probably not when I was dead young,” he admitted. “Maybe when I was 11 or 12. I probably took it for granted because I was so used to it.
“I just remember early memories of my dad taking me to training. When everyone was on the field, I’d just be mucking about in the gym – jumping on trampolines and off boxes!”
When it came to rugby idols, O’Loughlin’s favourites were those who took time out of their day for him.
“My favourite players were the ones who would talk to me the most,” he smiled. “I always liked Dan Sarginson, Micky Mac (McIlorum), Anthony Gelling and Sam Tomkins. My dad was good mates with Pat Richards, and he has a lad the same age as me, so I always liked Pat as well.”
Now stepping into the professional environment himself, O’Loughlin remains grounded about what success looks like in his debut full-time season.
“With it being my first year, I just want to develop myself physically and skill-wise as much as I can,” he said. “If an opportunity does come up – whether that’s first-team here or going on loan somewhere – I’ve not really got a dead set goal. I just want to develop myself as a player and as a person.”
For O’Loughlin, his journey to the first-team has been about patience, growth and learning – and as he begins life as a first-teamer with his hometown club, the talented youngster is determined to carve his own path, one step at a time.
O’Loughlin is one of two academy products to be promoted into Matt Peet’s first-team ahead of the new campaign – the other being Finlay Yeomans, who will wear the No. 34 shirt.
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