2016 Super League Grand Final preview
Old Trafford is the destination this weekend as the Grand Final beckons for Wigan and Warrington.
The Warriors are bidding for their fourth title while Tony Smith’s men are looking to secure their first ever Super League Trophy.
Team news
Wire fans will have been delighted when they heard Chris Sandow was included in the squad.
The halfback has been a revelation this season since his move from the NRL – he has scored 11 tries but perhaps more crucially he has made the joint second-highest amount of assists (25) in Super League.
Also back in the side are Brad Dwyer and the vastly experienced Ryan Bailey, who has been on the winning side six times in a Grand Final, during his time with Leeds.
A key player who won’t be available for Smith is Ben Currie. The forward tore his anterior cruciate ligament against Wigan last month and is expected to be out for between six to nine months.
As for the cherry and whites, Ben Flower will make his return after being sent off during the last meeting between the two teams for a late tackle on Warrington’s Declan Patton.
Sean O’Loughlin will be given up until the captain’s run to prove his fitness, whilst Tony Clubb, Michael Mcllorum, Lee Mossop and Dom Manfredi also miss out after being on the sideline for a considerable amount of time.
If Matty Smith scores 11 points or more, we’ll refund your stake as a free bet up to £50.
Recent clashes
The two teams have met on three occasions already this season. First up Warrington made the short journey down the M6 and came away with a 28-16 victory, bouncing back from defeat to Hull FC the week before, which ended a seven-match winning streak.
Manfredi scored a hat-trick of tries on the night but it was not enough to reverse the 22-4 deficit they faced at the interval.
Warriors’ fans didn’t enjoy their first trip to the Haliwell Jones Stadium this season. The Wolves posted an emphatic 40-10 victory, with five different try scorers securing a comfortable win in the end.
If Warrington deserved credit for their ruthlessness in that game then Wigan can be praised for the determination they showed in the final and most recent meeting – They came back from 28-14 to snatch a late victory with tries from Lewis Tierney and Anthony Gelling in the final 10 minutes, after seeing Flower sent off with just over a quarter of the match left.
2013 Grand Final
Warrington were looking to bounce back against Wigan at Old Trafford after defeat to Leeds the previous year.
Wigan were chasing their third Super League Trophy after triumphing against St Helens and Leeds in 2010 and 1998 respectively.
The Wire made a pretty good start, Joel Monaghan, Simon Grix and Ben Westwood crossing over to give Warrington a 16-6 lead at the interval.
If the first half belonged to Warrington, there was no question Wigan won the second. They scored 24 unanswered points, coming from behind to secure a 30-16 victory.
Both sides will travel to Old Trafford this weekend hoping that it is their night. The match is set for a 6pm kick-off and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.