At the start of each year players across Super League set out to lift the trophy at Old Trafford but few actually realise their dream. St Helens have been the dominant club in recent years, matching Leeds Rhinos' record of eight Grand Final wins by beating Catalans Dragons in October.
Wigan Warriors (five times) and Bradford Bulls (three) are the only other clubs to get their hands on the coveted trophy. While the main prize has eluded players outside those four clubs, there is an exclusive club that can boast Grand Final success on both sides of the world, and two more players could join it this weekend.
Matt Prior and Will Hopoate have already won Grand Finals in the NRL, now, they are one win away from doing the same in Super League. Prior is a two-time NRL champion after winning the Premiership with St George Illawarra and Cronulla Sharks, while Hopoate was successful when Manly Sea Eagles won the title in 2011. Whoever ends up on the victorious side will join 15 other men to win the season finale in both competitions. Here, we take a look at the stars who have done it in the past.
Danny Moore (Manly Sea Eagles 1996/Wigan 1998)
The Australian centre was the first player to achieve the feat, scoring a try in Manly's 20-8 win over St George in 1996. He only had to wait two years for another Grand Final win as Wigan edged out Leeds 10-6 thanks to Jason Robinson's memorable try.
Graham Mackay (Penrith Panthers 1991/Bradford 2001)
Another centre who prospered a full decade after claiming the NRL title with Penrith in 1991 was Mackay. He certainly had an impact during his sole season with the Bulls, with the veteran scoring a try and kicking a goal during Bradford's dominant 37-6 win over Wigan.
Daniel Gartner (Manly Sea Eagles 1996/Bradford 2001 and 2003)
Gartner played in three successive Grand Finals during four seasons at Bradford, lining up in the second row during the 2001 and 2003 successes against Wigan. The 2003 finale proved to be the last appearance of his career, securing his third worldwide Grand Final win thanks to a 25-12 victory over the Warriors.
Darren Albert (Newcastle Knights 1997/St Helens 2002)
The winger had a prolific tryscoring record while at Knowsley Road and marked his first season at the club with victory at Old Trafford. St Helens downed Bradford in a dramatic 19-18 triumph courtesy of Sean Long's drop-goal.
Darren Britt (Sydney Bulldogs 1995/St Helens 2002)
Britt was alongside his fellow Australian Albert for the 2002 success with St Helens. The prop starred in the 1995 ARL final for Sydney and put in another fine display upfront for Saints as they defeated the Bulls, a side which included Joe Vagana, Stuart Fielden and Jamie Peacock.
Marcus Bai (Melbourne Storm 1999/Leeds 2004)
The flying winger had a hugely successful career and marked his return to Super League - after starting his professional career at Hull FC - by lifting the title at the end of his first season at Headingley after Leeds had claimed the League Leaders' Shield that season. The Rhinos won 16-8 against Bradford to claim their first Super League title.
David Furner (Canberra Raiders 1994/Leeds 2004)
Played loose forward in the 2004 final, which proved to be the last appearance of his career. Later return to the Rhinos as head coach in 2019 on a three-year contract but was sacked after just 14 Super League matches with the club stranded near the foot of the table.
Adrian Morley (Sydney Roosters 2002/Bradford 2005)
Morley is the only Englishman on the list after a successful spell in the NRL with the Sydney Roosters. The Salford-born England international was still on the books at the Roosters when he won the Super League Grand Final in 2005, while on loan at Bradford. He later returned to Super League, playing for Warrington and his hometown club before hanging up his boots in 2015.
Ben Harris (Canterbury Bulldogs 2004/Bradford 2005)
Harris is the only player on the list to have won successive Grand Finals on either side of the globe. The Australian was the starting centre in both showpiece events as the Bulldogs won 16-13 against city rivals Sydney Roosters in 2004, before helping Bradford to a 15-6 success over Leeds.
Jamie Lyon (St Helens 2006/Manly 2008 and 2011)
One of the best centres of the Super League era, Lyon is the only player on the list to have won the Grand Final over here first. He helped St Helens to victory over Hull FC in 2006 before winning the NRL title twice with Manly.
Jason Cayless (Sydney Roosters 2002/St Helens 2006)
Cayless started as a prop alongside Morley during the Roosters' 2002 NRL Grand Final win, and would play in the World Club Challenge against future club St Helens in 2003. The Australian moved to Knowsley Road in 2006 and capped his first season with a 26-4 win over Hull at Old Trafford.
Danny Buderus (Newcastle Knights 2001/Leeds 2011)
Buderus is the only hooker to complete the Grand Final double in this list. He only played for two teams in his professional career - representing Newcastle either side of a three-year spell at Leeds. He helped the Knights to a 30-24 NRL Grand Final triumph over Parramatta Eels in 2001 and had to wait 10 more years - the joint-longest on this list between first and last victories - before guiding Leeds to a 30-16 success over St Helens.
Pat Richards (West Tigers 2005/Wigan 2010 and 2013)
Pat Richards enjoyed a successful spell at Wigan during his eighth season in Super League. The winger went full circle as he claimed the 2005 NRL Grand Final with West Tigers, his final game before joining Wigan, before following suit at the 2013 Super League Grand Final with the Warriors ahead of his return to the Tigers. Richards also scored tries in those two finals in addition to the 2010 Grand Final win with Wigan.
Frank-Paul Nuuausala (Sydney Roosters 2013/Wigan 2016)
The former New Zealand international joined the list after starting in Wigan's 12-6 win over Warrington in 2016. Nuuausala was also named as an interchange in the Roosters' success over Manly three years earlier.
Lachlan Coote (North Queensland Cowboys 2015/St Helens 2019-21)
The full-back became the 15th member of the exclusive club when he helped Saints defeat Salford in the 2019 Grand Final, adding to his memorable golden-point triumph with the Cowboys in the 2015 NRL Grand Final. Coote made it a hat-trick of wins in the Super League showpiece before joining Hull KR at the end of 2021.
