Here we are. Sixteen teams lined up at the beginning of the season, with their eyes on the premiership – and by Sunday night, only one of them will be lifting up the holy grail of Australian rugby league.

The Sydney Roosters, led magnificently by rookie coach Trent Robinson and ageless captain Anthony Minichiello this season, will be shooting for their 13th premiership.

They take on the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, who have proven to be ultra consistent in the past decade, having not missed the finals since 2004 and winning two premierships in the process.

The Silvertails will be aiming to hit double figures, as far as their tally of premierships are concerned.

However, for the first time in a long time, they will enter the grand final as underdogs, despite having another strong season.

Here is the ultimate guide to what should be a cracker of a grand final.

Sydney Roosters (1) versus Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles (4)
Sunday, October 6
7:15pm
ANZ Stadium

Last meeting: Roosters 4-0, first qualifying final, 2013, Allianz Stadium

This season: Roosters 16-4 at Brookvale Oval, Round 9 and Roosters 18-12 at Allianz Stadium, Round 16.

This is it. This is what everyone plays for at the beginning of the season and only one team can reign on grand final day.

The Sydney Roosters have been the clear standout team of the competition this year, with a major overhaul in the coaching department and the biggest recruitment drive in years lifting the club from 13th at the end of last year to its first minor premiership since 2004.

Trent Robinson returned from the English Super League to take the reins from Brian Smith, who was sacked last year after the Roosters under performed in the two years following their previous grand final appearance, in 2010.

Upon his arrival, he made defence one of the most important aspects in the Roosters’ game plan, after the Chooks ended 2012 with the second-worst defensive record in the competition (only ahead of wooden spooners Parramatta).

Not only has their defence improved, but also their attack – the Roosters ended the regular season with the best record in both categories.

This overhaul saw the Roosters record six clean sheets over the season, including those over the Broncos, Eels, Bulldogs, Dragons, Sharks, and their grand final opponents – the Sea Eagles.

On all but two occasions, the Roosters have scored at least 36 points in those matches.

Their recruitment drive was also one of the most aggressive over the off-season.

They were able to successfully lure Michael Jennings, James Maloney, Luke O’Donnell and Sonny Bill Williams to Sydney’s eastern suburbs, and all have played a part in the Roosters’ most successful regular season since 2004, logging 18 wins against six losses, including another two victories in the finals series, and only once losing consecutive matches (rounds 24-25) all year.

And to a lesser extent, Daniel Mortimer, who starred as Parramatta made a late charge towards the 2009 grand final, has also felt at home since joining the Roosters in 2012, proving to be a handy interchange player during the season.

Now, the ultimate question will be, with the talent that the Roosters’ playing squad is filled with, whether they can become the first Roosters premiership side since 2002.

If that were to eventuate, then this would come exactly 11 years to the day since they last won the premiership. In the same manner, Serena Williams winning the French Open this year came exactly 11 years to the day since she had last triumphed on the clay of Paris.

Deja vu, perhaps?

This will be the Roosters’ sixth grand final since the turn of the century, but they have only been successful once, back in 2002.

Strong comparisons could be made to Andy Roddick’s ability to only win once from five Grand Slam final appearances between 2003 and 2009.

Let’s now swing our attention to the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles.

The Sea Eagles, coached superbly by Geoff Toovey in the two years following Des Hasler’s messy departure in 2011, have once again complimented their consistency with another grand final appearance.

The Stewart brothers, Jamie Lyon, Anthony Watmough and the halves, Kieran Foran and Daly Cherry-Evans, have anchored another Sea Eagles successful regular season and they will be the keys to unlocking Manly’s 10th premiership.

As far as the season is concerned, the Sea Eagles were able to register 15 wins and a draw from its 24 matches, and finished a win and a half clear of fifth-placed Cronulla.

They also recorded the second best defence in the competition, only behind the Roosters.

At least 10,000 fans have attended all but one of their games (home and away) this year, indicating that support for the club is still very high, almost a decade since they struggled in their return to the NRL following the ill-fated Northern Eagles merger.

This will be the Sea Eagles’ fourth grand final since 2007, having won two in that period and losing one (albeit to the Melbourne Storm side which would later have its premiership stripped from them due to salary cap breaches).

The Silvertails have been there and done that. A few select players will have the chance to become a triple-premiership player with the Sea Eagles, an achievement that is so often rare in rugby league these days.

Melbourne’s annulled 2007 and 2009 titles, along with its valid 2012 premiership, does not count in this calculation.

However, the only evidence that remains is that the players still have their premiership rings from those two tainted years, and both Greg Inglis (2007) and Billy Slater (2009) are still recognised as the Clive Churchill Medallists from those years.

And so, this grand final has the potential to be one of the most thrilling and exciting in years.

Key match-ups: Anthony Minichiello versus Brett Stewart
These two fullbacks boast a lot of experience between them – three premierships from eight grand finals and numerous representative honours between them ranging from City versus Country to Test level.

Minichiello has shown glimpses of his best form this season after a series of long-term injuries threatened to bring the curtain down on his career early. His experience in big matches was what won him the Roosters captaincy this year and he has led by example throughout the season.

Stewart, like Minichiello, has also had his world come crashing down, but as most champions do, has come back up running again.

In the two years following Manly’s 2008 premiership victory, legal issues and a serious knee injury restricted the Snake to only six games between 2009 and 2010, thus sabotaging Manly’s attempts at a premiership in those two years.

But his well-timed return in 2011 saw the Sea Eagles become a force again as they lifted the premiership for the second time in four years. And once again he will be the key as the Sea Eagles seek premiership number ten.

Expect a good battle between the two experienced backmen.

Michael Jennings versus Jamie Lyon
This year has seen a huge resurgence from Michael Jennings, 12 months after being told by Phil Gould that he was unwanted at Penrith, as the club set about cleaning out their playing list after a dismal 2012 season.

From 25 appearances this season, Jennings has scored 19 tries, proving that the star player he once was at Penrith had not diminished and that a move to the east was well worth it.

He will be up against Jamie Lyon, whose time at Manly has yielded the most successful years of his career, having previously played in Parramatta’s 2001 grand final side.

Since joining the Sea Eagles in 2007 (ironically the same year Jennings made his NRL first grade debut), he has scored over 1,000 points and is closing in on 200 appearances for the club, in addition to being recognised as the Dally M Centre of the year in 2010 and 2011, as well as the Captain of the Year in 2012.

The battle in the centres, therefore, should be an exciting one.

James Maloney/Mitchell Pearce versus Kieran Foran/Daly Cherry-Evans
This is where I feel the match will be won: in the halves.

James Maloney will be playing his second grand final against Manly in as many years, having previously guided the Warriors, in tandem with Shaun Johnson, to the 2011 decider.

His partnership with Mitchell Pearce, whose form at the Roosters has improved since the ill-fated State of Origin decider in July, has proven to be one of the most reliable this season, as they wonderfully directed the Roosters’ attack all year.

They will, however, be up against Kieran Foran and Daly Cherry-Evans, who were the brains trust behind Manly’s most recent premiership just nine years ago.

Maloney will be eager for revenge against Manly’s halves pairing, who continue to be very effective for the Sea Eagles under the tutelage of Geoff Toovey.

Cherry-Evans, in particular, continues to improve at the top level in what is only his third year in the top grade, while Foran also continues to be consistent with his game.

This I feel will decide the outcome of the game.

Sonny Bill Williams/Jared Waerea-Hargreaves versus Glenn Stewart/Anthony Watmough
If you’re looking for a good battle in the forward pack, it’s right here.

Ever since returning to the NRL following a five-year exile, Sonny Bill Williams has fitted back into the game very well, though having to adjust his tough, uncompromising style of play to the new rules which saw the shoulder charge outlawed last November.

He has lost nothing from the form that saw him win a premiership as a rookie with the Bulldogs in 2004, and is a much tougher, physical player nowadays. He could be the x-factor that could win the game for the Roosters.

Jared Waerea-Hargreaves is another tough player whose actions can sometimes go over the top, as proven twice this season when he was suspended for on-field incidents ranging from the less to the more serious.

But the two have combined well at the back of the scrum and they will go a long way towards deciding the match.

Their battle against Glenn Stewart and Anthony Watmough will be one for the ages.

Glenn Stewart just avoided suspension when he carelessly launched himself into Sam Burgess last week but his presence will be very valuable to the Sea Eagles, as will that of Anthony Watmough.

Manly will be looking for a strong game from both men as they seek their 10th premiership this Sunday.

Therefore, you can expect a physical tussle between the forward packs, both of which are the most intimidating and most physical in the competition.

Stats that matter
* This will be their fourth meeting this year alone – to my knowledge, no team has ever recorded a rare quadruple over the same team in a single year.
* This will be only their second meeting in a grand final – Manly won their first premiership in 1972 at the expense of Easts (as they were known back then).
* This will be the first grand final since 2005 not to feature the coaching of Craig Bellamy, Wayne Bennett or Des Hasler, though Geoff Toovey was an assistant coach when Manly won the premiership in both 2008 and 2011.
* One of Trent Robinson or Toovey will become a first-time premiership coach – in only their first or second year in the coaching department respectively.
* Ricky Stuart was the last rookie coach to win the premiership – that was, ironically, with the Roosters in 2002.
* Geoff Toovey has the chance to include his name in the list of select players who have captained and coached the same team to a premiership.
* The Sea Eagles, appearing in their fourth grand final since 2007, boast more grand final experience (and success) than the Roosters, who will be appearing in their sixth grand final since 2000.
* A Roosters loss would see Anthony Minichiello become the first man to ever lose five grand finals, and further enhance the Roosters’ reputation as ‘chokers’.
* The Roosters have lost more grand finals than any other club in Australian rugby league history.
* A Manly win would see them and Melbourne (albeit with two premierships stripped) continue the grand final stranglehold that they have enjoyed since 2007, with the only blot coming in 2010 (St. George Illawarra).
* Manly will be aiming to crack double figures in their premiership tally, while the Roosters will aim for unlucky 13th.
* A Roosters victory would see them become the first team since the Dragons in 2010 to win the minor premiership/premiership double. This has not been achieved by the club since 1975.

The verdict
The Roosters will start as the favourites, having produced their most successful regular season since 2004 and having dominated the competition at will, leading the statistics in attack (1st) and defence (1st).

However, as has been proven in past deciders, the Roosters can be prone to choking and will be desperate to shed that tag once and for all.

The Sea Eagles are the ones with the most finals experience, but for the first time since 2007, will start as underdogs. It shouldn’t bother them, though, as they seek to continue their premiership dynasty which started in 2008.

Personally I feel the match will go down to the wire, as the qualifying final between the two clubs did.

Prediction
Roosters by six points.

Clive Churchill Medal
Sonny Bill Williams