St Helens and Leeds Rhinos will each bid for a record-breaking ninth Grand Final victory when they go head-to-head at Old Trafford.
Here’s our rundown of the likely line-ups and selection posers ahead of Saturday evening’s game.
St Helens
Saints have the 17 available to them that beat Salford Red Devils in the semi-finals, plus Will Hopoate, Dan Norman and Josh Simm back from injury.
Head coach Kristian Woolf said on Thursday that Hopoate was on course to play, giving them an extra senior player who could feature across the backline. Most likely he would come in at fullback, moving Jon Bennison to the wing and Mark Percival to centre, though he may play wing if Bennison’s form at number one sees him retained in that spot.
With Tommy Makinson and Konrad Hurrell cemented in their positions, and Jack Welsby and Jonny Lomax the halves, Sione Mata’utia would be the one to switch in Hopoate’s presence to his more customary back-row position, potentially as a starter instead of Curtis Sironen.
Otherwise the pack picks itself with skipper James Roby at hooker, Agnatius Paasi and Matty Lees starting props, and Joe Batchelor and Morgan Knowles – following the successful appeal against suspension which has dominated the build-up to the match – also in the back row.
Joey Lussick will be Roby’s foil from the bench, where Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Jake Wingfield and James Bell may be battling with Dan Norman for just two other interchange spots.
Predicted line-up: Hopoate; Makinson, Hurrell, Percival, Bennison; Welsby, Lomax; Paasi, Roby, Lees; Mata’utia, Batchelor, Knowles. Subs: Lussick, McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Sironen, Bell.
Leeds Rhinos
Leeds are without Aidan Sezer for the Grand Final with a head injury, with Rhyse Martin and potentially Ash Handley – rated 50/50 by coach Rohan Smith on Thursday – the boosts.
The halfback decision will be key. The most likely solution is Richie Myler being switched from fullback, as he has a number of times under Smith, to play alongside Blake Austin, though captain Kruise Leeming could also step up.
If Myler moves, Zak Hardaker would assume the fullback berth, with either Martin returning to the team as a centre or Tom Briscoe shifted inside if Handley can feature on the wing. Both Martin and Handley might even come into the backline, putting Liam Tindall’s wing spot at risk.
Leeming would otherwise be the bench hooker with Jarrod O’Connor now firmly established as the starting nine.
In the forwards, Mikolaj Oledzki and Matt Prior will surely continue as starting props, while if Martin is to feature at second-row Zane Tetevano would be relegated to the bench. James Bentley and Cameron Smith will keep their positions.
Bodene Thompson and James Donaldson should remain among the interchanges but the other two spots are open, depending on which way Smith goes with his backline. Sam Walters will hope to stay in the 17, while a Leeming switch might hand a lifeline to Brad Dwyer to play.
Predicted line-up: Hardaker; Briscoe, Martin, Sutcliffe, Handley; Austin, Myler; Oledzki, O’Connor, Prior; Bentley, Tetevano, Smith. Subs: Leeming, Thompson, Walters, Donaldson.
21-man squads
St Helens: 1 Jack Welsby, 2 Tommy Makinson, 3 Will Hopoate, 4 Mark Percival, 6 Jonny Lomax, 9 James Roby, 10 Matty Lees, 11 Sione Mata’utia, 12 Joe Batchelor, 13 Morgan Knowles, 14 Joey Lussick, 15 Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, 16 Curtis Sironen, 17 Agnatius Paasi, 19 Jake Wingfield, 20 James Bell, 21 Josh Simm, 22 Ben Davies, 23 Konrad Hurrell, 24 Dan Norman, 27 Jon Bennison.
Leeds: 4 Liam Sutcliffe, 5 Ash Handley, 6 Blake Austin, 8 Mikolaj Oledzki, 9 Kruise Leeming, 10 Matt Prior, 11 James Bentley, 12 Rhyse Martin, 13 Zane Tetevano, 14 Brad Dwyer, 16 Richie Myler, 17 Cameron Smith, 19 Bodene Thompson, 20 Tom Briscoe, 22 Sam Walters, 24 Jarrod O’Connor, 25 James Donaldson, 28 Muizz Mustapha, 29 Liam Tindall, 32 Jack Sinfield, 33 Zak Hardaker.
