The Warrington Wolves take on the Wigan Warriors in the Super League grand final at Old Trafford this weekend.
Warrington earned their spot in the decider with an 18-10 semi-final win over St Helens last weekend, while Wigan upset 2016 Challenge Cup winners Hull FC 28-18 to book their fourth consecutive grand final appearance.
Former NRL players will be on display for both teams – Warrington have Kurt Gidley and Ashton Sims, while Wigan have Frank-Paul Nu’uausala. The Wolves’ Chris Sandow has been out for several weeks with a knee injury but may play if he passes a fitness test, while Sam Tomkins of the Warriors is out after undergoing foot surgery last week.
34-year-old Gidley has been in fine form at five-eighth, being named in the Super League team of the season last week, along with three of his teammates – centre Ryan Atkins, second-rower Ben Currie and prop Chris Hill.
Winger Dom Manfredi was the only Wigan player selected in the team of the season.
The two teams have met three times this campagin, with Wigan winning the most recent clash 35-28 just over two weeks ago, while Warrington won both earlier matches.
Defence will be the key for Wigan this weekend, with Warrington possessing the best attacking record in Super League, averaging an incredible 28 points per match, conceding just 17. Wigan’s attack averages 22 points per match this year, conceding 18.
Wigan are the most successful club in English rugby league history, winning the championship a record 20 times. However, they have lost the past two grand finals, beaten in 2015 by Leeds and in 2014 by St Helens. Ironically, their last premiership was in 2013, when they beat Warrington, so they will be hoping history repeats itself this weekend.
Warrington meanwhile will be hoping for their first championship since 1954-55, having lost both the 2012 and 2013 Super League grand finals. They also lost this year’s Challenge Cup final 12-10 against Hull FC, though they did taste Challenge Cup success in 2009, 2010 and 2012. They also won the League Leader’s Shield this season for finishing the season on top of the ladder.
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