The big day has arrived. St Helens and Leeds Rhinos will lock up at Old Trafford today with the Super League trophy on offer. For both clubs, it is an opportunity to declare themselves as the greatest club of the era, for now at least, with victory taking them to an unprecedented ninth Grand Final triumph.
For the coaches, Kristian Woolf and Rohan Smith, there are a number of difficult selection issues which will have resulted in sleepless nights. Both camps feature one player fighting a race against time. Will Hopoate, who has struggled with persistent issues all season, and Ash Handley, the Rhinos' star winger, are both fighting to recover from hamstring and knee issues respectively.
Though both coaches were coy, they gave off the impression that both would feature. Given it is the biggest game of the season, you'd suspect they'll go to extra lengths to get them out on the hallowed Old Trafford turf. It's a tricky predicament for Saints. Hopoate has been excellent in the spine this year and his absence does result in something of a patched up spine. Jon Bennison played fullback last weekend and that will likely be the case if he misses out.
