Due to the Covid-19 pandemic it has taken a little longer than usual to come around but on Friday night the Super League Grand Final will take place as the Wigan Warriors battle St Helens for the biggest title in the domestic game.
The showpiece occasion is a little more low key this year as it has been moved from Old Trafford to the KCOM Stadium in Hull and will be played behind closed doors but the top two teams meet in what should be an extremely competitive 80 minutes of rugby.
Where to watch
The match will be shown in full on the Sky Sports Main Event and the Sky Sports Arena channels with the build up to the Grand Final beginning at 7pm and the match itself starting at 8pm.
Special Offer
OPEN AN ACCOUNT WITH 888SPORT AND BET £10 TO GET £30 IN FREE BETS PLUS A £10 CASINO BONUS! PERFECT OFFER FOR THE SUPER LEAGUE! CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW TO JOIN. USE CODE 30F. NEW ACCOUNTS ONLY. 18+ T&Cs apply (See image for significant terms). Gamble Aware.
Wigan Warriors
It is fitting that the Wigan Warriors have made it through to the Grand Final because it is always less of an occasion when the team who finished top of the table doesn’t make it to the big dance. Wigan got here with one of their best performances of the season in the semi-final, stifling a dangerous Hull FC side before unleashing all of their attacking mite on them in the second stanza for a runaway victory which laid a marker down here.
An awful lot is made of the defensive capabilities but less is said about their attacking strength. I’m guilty of overlooking it in many of the previews this season but when it all clicks going forward they can match most in the competition for exciting plays and quality tries. Their attack will need to be at their best if they are going to snatch the title away from their rivals here but their defence is also going to need to remain pinpoint too.
St Helens
The defending champions had to overcome a physical assault from the Catalans Dragons to make it through to another Grand Final but having showed all their class in that semi-final, they will line up here ready to retain their title and continue a period of dominance which isn’t showing many signs of ending. One of the reasons for that is their forward pack gives them such a drive but also has the skills to break the line and they are relentless off the back of that.
There is a fearlessness to this St Helens team which sees them attack in numbers and if they can find a weakness in this Wigan defence and exploit it then success could very easily come their way in this contest. What they can’t afford to do is lose patience or their discipline because they will have to work for their chances. They also need to ensure they keep their back door closed as this Wigan defence is even tougher to breach when it has something to hold on to.
Team News
Wigan Warriors will hand a final appearance to captain Sean O’Loughlin in this match before he retires. Sam Powell is expected to return after missing the semi-final which means Harry Smith could be the unfortunate man to miss out.
St Helens will also be saying goodbye to one of their greats as this will be the final match in the career of James Graham assuming he is passed fit to play. Alex Walmsley has been passed fit by Kristian Woolf so St Helens could be unchanged.
Betting
It might not be at Old Trafford and there might not be 70,000 fans in attendance but what a Grand Final we have to look forward to despite that. The action on the field should be tough and this match should be won and lost by narrow margins. These two teams are very evenly matched and we saw that a few weeks ago when Wigan Warriors edged out their rivals 18-6 in the match of the season. I’m expecting no different in terms of the quality of the match here and I don’t see the result changing either. Both these teams can mix it physically and will be bang on it defensively but Wigan just have that tighter defence and that extra X-Factor with Jackson Hastings and Bevan French to come out on top here. This isn’t a match that will be won by three scores or more though so I’m happy to bump up the price on Wigan by backing them to win by 1-12 points.
The other bet for this Grand Final is to back the first scoring play to be a penalty. You can get 5/1 on a penalty for either team to be the first score of the final and that works out at 2/1 is you cover both sides. This is a cup final between the two best defences in Super League. Points and chances are going to be few and far between, especially early in the contest so any chance to add a little scoreboard pressure will be taken. Both semi-finals saw the scoring opened by a penalty and when these two met in Round 19 we had to wait half an hour for the first try. If we’re waiting that long here I’m confident someone will have slotted over a penalty before that opening try comes along.
Tips
Back Wigan Warriors to win by 1-12pts for a 3/10 stake at 2.88 with Betfred
Back First Scoring Play – Wigan Penalty for a 1/10 stake at 6.00 with Boylesports
WON – Back First Scoring Play – St Helens Penalty for a 1/10 stake at 6.00 with Boylesports
Back them here:
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2020
