Grand Final Preview #3 - What a difference a year makes

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We are here again. It is Grand Final time. I would usually say that the year has passed in the blink of an eye and it hardly seems any time at all since last year's showpiece. This year, to say that would be a lie. St Helens and Salford walking out at Old Trafford on 13 October 2019 feels another life.

There are few more spine-tingling moments in rugby league than that tunnel walk. I have only ever experienced from a fan's perspective. The pyrotechnics firing off into the dimming sky, the Super League trophy sparkling as the two teams walk past, daring not to look at the prize that awaits. The colours of the two teams adorned on flags and the explosive roar of the crowd.

It almost over stimulates the senses. It makes the fan's heart skip a beat and the hairs on the back of the neck stand on end. When it is you who holds the destiny of the biggest prize in the domestic game in your hands, you would need a heart of ice not to go weak at the knees.

In this most unique of years, the flags of fans will be replaced by large displays covering naked seats. The roar of the crowd will be replaced by music over a PA. The prize is the same. The pre-match nerves will still be there. But the serene surroundings will act as a stark contrast to the usual organised mayhem.

In a year where the world has been turned on its head, some things have not changed. For the third season in a row, this year's Grand Finalists have finished first and second in the league table.

Yet in 2018 and 2019, the top two did not contest the Grand Final. Despite a dominant season in 2018, St Helens faltered towards the finishing line. They found themselves on the wrong side of nip-and-tuck encounter, being hit with a Tom Lineham sucker punch in the final few minutes of a play-off semi final against Warrington.

Wigan suffered the same semi-final heartbreak in 2019. They were dispatched with relative ease at home by Salford. The Red Devils produced a near-perfect display to stun their hosts. 

Whilst one of Wigan and St Helens missed out in the last two years, the other went all the way to collect the Super League trophy. This year, the method will be different but the outcome the same. The engraved name will be one that has been there several times before. The search for a new winner will go on for at least another year.

Wigan and St Helens will contest their fourth Grand Final on Friday, equalling a Super League record with Leeds and St Helens. The previous finals have seen two St Helens victories and one for Wigan.

There is little to separate the two teams. Just one win on the competition ladder, with Wigan's October win over St Helens effectively securing their third Super League minor premiership.

Wigan's record against the big teams this year is impressive. They have beaten St Helens once and Warrington twice. Their only slip up in these fixtures, if you could call it that, was when a near-reserve team were bettered by a strong St Helens. By contrast, St Helens have lost once to Wigan and twice to Warrington.

If St Helens are to retain their title, they need to reverse that. But how? Well, in two of their three 'big game' defeats in 2020, St Helens have had Alex Walmsley absent. His importance to the team cannot be overstated. Walmsley appeared in pain against Catalans last week, grasping his knee several times. Head coach Kristian Woolf insists he is fit. The accuracy of that statement will be critical to St Helens' hopes.

For Wigan, their pack is absent of a superstar, but as a collective are greater than the sum of their parts. George Burgess was supposed to fill the superstar role but has struggled for fitness, game time and form. Adrian Lam's mid-season move for Brad Singleton was smart. He has added much enthusiasm and vigour to a pack not lacking those attributes already.

The battle of the full backs will also be thrilling. Both Bevan French and Lachlan Coote were Man of Steel nominees. Their style differs greatly. French is a runner. A skillful and quick full back who stands ready to expose the smallest of gaps in a defensive line. Coote is a thinker. Unusually, a full back who is the team's primary kicker, an organiser, leader and consistent presence.

Neither set of fans would swap their full back for their rivals, but most will admire the talents of their counterparts. Whilst a cliché, the Grand Final is very tough to predict. Wigan may be slight favourites, but a St Helens win would not come as a shock.

These two sides are the best in the British game and have been for the last three years. After two near-misses, the great rivals clash again for the big prize. All that is left to do is to enjoy a contest that promises so much. The question for the aftermath will be, how do the other teams catch up?

*****

Whilst you're here...why not read our other blogposts in our Grand Final preview series?

Grand Final Preview #1 - How a 2017 swap transfer culminates on Friday
Grand Final Preview #2 - The Curtain Call

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