Why Super League Needs a New Winner
After their win over Leeds, the Dragons are just 80 minutes away from a maiden Grand Final appearance while Hull are looking to add to their solitary effort in 2006 having overcome Warrington Wolves.
Both teams have benefited from a restructured play-offs, with Catalans not fulfilling the 15 game requirement originally set out and Hull finishing outside the top four places originally required to take part.
However, either of them lifting the Super League trophy on 27 November would be a welcome sight to the league and the feat will be of extra motivation to Hull considering it will be played at their own KCOM stadium.
An Old Trafford closed shop
Since the Grand Final was introduced for the 1998 season as a way of determining the champions after a play-off format, only four teams have been victorious.
The losers of the inaugural final, Leeds Rhinos, are the most successful team in Super League history with eight titles while their conquers Wigan have claimed five victories.
St Helens have also lifted the trophy on six occasions while Bradford Bulls have been champions three times (in addition to one title each under the first past the post system).
These four teams have made up the majority of the 22 finals so far with only Warrington, Hull, Castleford and Salford also contesting the showpiece event.
Of those, only the Wire have played in multiple finals and Hull's appearance in 2006 was the first by a club outside the original four.
The dominance is further highlighted by the fact that, at least one of the Rhinos, Warriors, Saints and Bulls have appeared in every final including St Helens playing in six consecutive finals with four of them against Leeds.
This run saw Leeds' own period of dominance however, claiming five titles in six seasons from 2007.
Wire and company so near yet so far
Warrington have often seemed like the team most likely to break the stranglehold of the now big three (with Bradford having not played a decider since 2005) having reached Old Trafford on four occasions.
They became the first new team since the Airlie Birds in 2006 to reach the showpiece when they played Leeds six years later but lost 26-18.
Just 12 months later they were back again to face Wigan but couldn't get over the line and have since suffered two further final defeats to the Cherry and Whites.
Hull's appearance was a chastening one as they were brushed aside 26-4 by the Treble-winning Saints and Castleford suffered a similar fate of being possibly overawed by the occasion in 2017 when they lost to Leeds.
Neither of these sides have yet to return to Old Trafford although both have fallen in the semi-finals on occasion.
The only other new side to make a Grand Final appearance is Salford, despite having one of the lowest budgets in the league and they put up a good showing before being edged out by St Helens last year.
The Play-off structure debate
Throughout its various guises since 1998, the play-off structure has always been a hot topic for debate.
Until 2001 a five-team format was used (reprised in 2019) but was extended to six teams from 2002.
In 2009 eight sides competed in the play-offs for six years before a top-four structure was settled on.
Plenty of people would like to see the league awarded to the leaders at the end of the regular season without the need for play-offs.
However the knockout format offers one-off matches and gives sides a different challenge to a regular season match and is weighted in favour of the top two sides anyway.
Huddersfield in 2013, had a wonderful opportunity to reach Old Trafford having won the League Leaders shield but subsequently failed to reach the Grand Final whereas on 12 occasions the League Leaders have gone onto lift the Super League title.
There have been a few surprise results such as Leeds Rhinos triumphing in 2011 and 2012 despite finishing fifth in the regular campaign.
Although many people will decry a team finishing that low ending up as champions, in 2011, the Rhinos won at fourth-placed Huddersfield and league leaders Warrington before defeating third-placed St Helens in the final.
The following year they were victorious at fourth-placed Catalans and saw off top of the table Wigan before beating second-placed Warrington at Old Trafford.
Although obviously a way of producing more matches and therefore more money for the sport (something desperately needed in rugby league), the extended season offers more matches between the best teams and players and can itself be a good barometer of deciding the worthy champions after pitting them against each other in a high pressure knockout situation.
The case for Catalans Dragons
Catalans Dragons have made their first play-off semi-final since 2014 and to see them in a first Grand Final could be the shot in the arm the sport needs.
Bankrolled by chairman Bernard Guasch, the Perpignan outfit became the second French side to compete in Super League in 2005 after Paris Saint-Germain, and were the sole representative from abroad prior to Toronto Wolfpack's promotion in 2019.
A strong French outfit can help progress the game beyond the Northern heartlands and could be particularly pertinent if fellow French side Toulouse are promoted to Super League in Toronto's place.
The potential progress made by the French sides can also help their international side grow benefitting the global game as a whole.
For years the international scene has been dominated by Australia, New Zealand and England although Tonga are now becoming a force to be reckoned with.
However a consistent French presence in rugby league's top flight could see the emergence of more homegrown stars and plying their trade at the highest level will only aid the national team.
Only time will tell but I for one will be cheering on Catalans against St Helens on Friday as they look to cap the most unusual season in the most unusual fashion - a Grand Final in Hull.
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