Squad watch: All of the Super League Grand Final team news, including TV coverage & predictions
Wigan Warriors and Catalans Dragons meet at Old Trafford in the Super League Grand Final on Saturday night. The 2023 Super League season all comes down to this, and we’ve got you covered with all you need to know ahead of the showpiece.
Kicking off at 6pm (BST), the Grand Final will be broadcast live from an hour before on Sky Sports Arena and Sky Sports Main Event, available in Ultra HD.
For the first time in five years, a new club will get to lift the prestigious silverware aloft, with St Helens winning all four of the previous Grand Finals. This is a first-ever Old Trafford showdown between Wigan and Catalans.
The Warriors have featured in 11 previous Grand Finals, winning five of those and losing six. Their most recent Old Trafford experience was a happy one, beating Warrington Wolves there in 2018, but their most recent Grand Final effort was a losing one, going down to Saints behind closed doors in 2020 at Hull’s MKM Stadium.
For Catalans meanwhile, this is a second-ever Grand Final having only previously got this far in 2021 when, again, the Red Vee came out on top. If Steve McNamara’s men are able to topple the Cherry and Whites, they will become only the fifth club to win a showpiece following on from Saints (9), Leeds Rhinos (8), Wigan (5) and Bradford (3).
The French outfit beat the Warriors at the DW Stadium in March and at Magic Weekend in June, but were hammered on home soil just seven weeks ago by their Grand Final opponents, beaten 34-0.
Wigan Warriors
Matt Peet’s side pipped Catalans to the League Leaders’ Shield on points difference to set up a home semi-final clash with Hull KR which they absolutely breezed through, running out 42-12 winners.
Ahead of the Grand Final, they’ve been boosted further by the return of influential prop Ethan Havard, who has been sidelined since Round 18 with a hamstring injury.
The Bulgaria-born England international was initially set for a four to six week spell out of action, but suffered a setback which required surgery.
He is the only change to their 21-man pack heading to Old Trafford, replacing the off-contract Cade Cust who is likely to have played his last game for the club.
Squad: Field, French, King, Wardle, Marshall, Smith, Powell, Isa, Farrell, Smithies, Ellis, Havard, Pearce-Paul, Shorrocks, Mago, O’Neill, Miski, Hill, Nsemba, Hampshire, Dupree
Catalans Dragons
Having finished 2nd, Catalans had to battle their way through a much tougher task in the form of reigning champions St Helens at the Stade Gilbert Brutus last Friday night.
Trailing 6-2 for much of the second half in a tight contest, Adam Keighran – who on Saturday will face the club he’s joining in 2024 – levelled things up at 6-6 with two penalties before Sam Tomkins stepped up with a late clutch play to fly over for the winning try.
A legend at both Wigan and the Dragons, veteran Tomkins will retire following the Grand Final, and goes in search of a dream ending to his career.
Boss McNamara names the same 21 from that semi-final triumph over Saints. Australian stalwart Mitchell Pearce will also call time on his career at Old Trafford, while Sio Siua Taukeiaho is set to return to the NRL.
Squad: Mourgue, Davies, Keighran, May, Pearce, McMeeken, McIlorum, Bousquet, Whitley, Seguier, Garcia, Da Costa, Navarrete, Chan, Romano, Ikuvalu, Taukeiaho, Dezaria, Johnstone, Ma’u, Tomkins
Predictions
Drew: TBC
Ben: TBC