Sheffield Eagles veteran Ben Jones-Bishop hoping to find 'missing piece' on latest Wembley mission

From the anticipation to the special moments shared in the build-up, a trip to the national stadium is about so much more than the game itself.

Ben Jones-Bishop holds that view after playing there three times and coming out on the losing side on each occasion, twice with Leeds Rhinos and once as a York Knights player.

As the two-time Super League Grand Final winner attempts to tick off a Wembley success at the fourth time of asking with underdogs Sheffield Eagles, he will never take these weeks for granted.

"The losses stick with you but I've still got good memories," said Jones-Bishop, who scored tries in two of those defeats.

"To have the opportunity to play there for a fourth time is pretty special. Some players will go through their careers without getting there at all.

"At the back end of my career, I'm definitely treating it as if it might be my last time playing at Wembley. You can't guarantee you'll be back.

"The missing piece for me is trying to get that win down there. It would be a great achievement for the team as well with the journey we've been on.

"Everyone writes us off, even before the Championship season started. It would be nice to prove a few people wrong."

Jones-Bishop has sampled Wembley for the Challenge Cup and the 1895 Cup, the trophy up for grabs against Championship heavyweights Wakefield Trinity on Saturday.

The competition has been a big hit with lower-league clubs since its inception in 2019.

"It's a great initiative to give part-time players the opportunity to play at Wembley," said Jones-Bishop.

"As a rugby player, you dream of playing in a cup final at your national stadium.

"To have that opportunity at all levels of the game, including the women, is a tremendous thing for the sport."

Big-spending Wakefield were always going to be the team to beat in this year's 1895 Cup and so it has proved.

As well as their serene progress to the final, Daryl Powell's side have won 10 out of 10 in the Championship, including a 36-10 win at Sheffield last month.

"They're a good team, a full-time team," said Jones-Bishop on his former club.

"We had a taste of that earlier on in the season at our place and there were some positives to take from that.

"Now we know what to expect and have just got to be clinical. We might not get many chances but if we take them, we're going to be in with a great opportunity.

"On the day, stranger things have happened."

The Eagles have a history of upsetting the odds, pulling off the biggest Challenge Cup shock of all time to stun Wigan Warriors before downing Widnes Vikings on their return to Wembley in the inaugural 1895 Cup final five years ago.

More recently, Sheffield gave Super League champions Wigan a scare at the DW Stadium.

In head coach Mark Aston – the Lance Todd Trophy winner in 1998 – they have a man who can lift players for big games and, more importantly, knows how to get the job done at the national stadium.

"It's part of the club and is spoken about," said Jones-Bishop.

"It's a great inspiration for the team. Sheffield were massive underdogs against Wigan and won, and then there's the 1895 Cup win against Widnes as well.

"There's pedigree there from the club and the coaches with Keith Senior as well. We've got great experience around us and a lot of boys who have played at Wembley in finals.

"Simon Brown, our assistant coach, has put a real emotional piece together tying the achievements of Rob (Burrow) and Kev (Sinfield) with our achievements and the task at hand. We feel ready for the game now."

Sheffield have quickly moved on from their Championship defeat at Batley Bulldogs last week when they "just weren't at it", in the words of Jones-Bishop.

That pre-Wembley disappointment was quickly put into perspective for Jones-Bishop following the devastating loss of friend and former team-mate Burrow.

The 35-year-old visited Headingley on Thursday to lay flowers on behalf of the Eagles and will keep Burrow in his thoughts at Wembley, where the Leeds Rhinos legend will be honoured with a series of tributes.

"He was a tremendous bloke," said Jones-Bishop.

"It was great to play alongside him and call him a friend. There's a group of us that are big into American Football and have a fantasy league. We'd meet up and watch games together, and Rob was non-stop in our WhatsApp group.

"He was an absolute hero for the fight he showed and what he was able to do for the other MND sufferers by raising awareness."