RECORD FINAL APPEARANCES
Jamie Peacock and James Roby share the record for most Grand Final appearances, having each played in the Super League title decider on eleven occasions.
Peacock also holds the record for most Grand Final wins, with nine. He won with Bradford in 2001, 2003 and 2005 (as captain) and was undefeated for Leeds in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2015. He was on the losing side for Bradford in 2002 and 2004.
Roby won with St Helens in 2006, 2014 (Harry Sunderland Trophy winner), 2019 (as captain), 2020 (captain, Harry Sunderland Trophy winner), 2021 (captain) and 2022 (captain). He was on the losing side for Saints in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011.
Seven players share the unwanted record of five defeats in Grand Finals – Lee Gilmour, James Graham, Francis Meli, Leon Pryce, James Roby, Paul Wellens and Jon Wilkin.
Graham, Meli, Roby, Wellens and Wilkin all lost with St Helens in successive years from 2007 to 2011. Gilmour lost with Saints in 2007, 2008 and 2009, with Bradford in 2002 and with Wigan in 2000. Pryce lost with St Helens in 2007, 2008 and 2009 and with Bradford in 1999 and 2002.
Carl Ablett holds the record for most Grand Final appearances without suffering defeat (7) – having featured in the victorious Leeds sides of 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2017.
St Helens’ Paul Clough (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011), Chris Flannery (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010) and Matt Gidley (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010), Warrington’s Chris Hill (2012, 2013, 2016, 2018) and Stefan Ratchford (2012, 2013, 2016, 2018) – along with the late Terry Newton – share the unwanted record of most Grand Final appearances without a win. Newton lost with Leeds in 1998 and with Wigan in 2000, 2001 and 2003.
Kevin Sinfield holds the records for most appearances and wins as captain in a Super League Grand Final – having skippered Leeds on eight occasions (2004(W), 2005(L), 2007(W), 2008(W), 2009(W), 2011(W), 2012(W) and 2015(W).
Sinfield also won the Harry Sunderland Trophy in the 2009 and 2012 victories.
Youngest finalist
Leon Pryce – Bradford v St Helens, 1999 – 18 years (played in the game on his 18th birthday)
– The youngest player to win a Grand Final is Jack Walker (18 years, 60 days), who was on the winning side for Leeds against Castleford in 2017
– The youngest player to score in a Grand Final is David Hodgson (19 years, 67 days), who touched down in defeat for Wigan against St Helens in 2000
Oldest finalist
Sean O’Loughlin – Wigan v St Helens, 2020 – 38 years, 3 days
– The oldest player to win a Grand Final is Jamie Peacock (37 years, 300 days), who was on the winning side for Leeds against Wigan in 2015
– The oldest player to score in a Grand Final is James Maloney (35 years, 116 days), who kicked three goals in defeat for Catalans Dragons against St Helens in 2021
Catalans Dragons hooker Michael McIlorum (35 years, 277 days) has the chance to become the oldest player to score in a Super League Grand Final.
HARRY SUNDERLAND TROPHY
(Awarded to the man of the match in the Championship Final from 1965 to 1973; Club Merit Final 1974; Premiership Final 1975-1997; Super League Grand Final from 1998)
Seven players have twice won the Harry Sunderland Trophy with the same club: Alan Tait (Widnes – 1989, 1990 Premiership Finals), Chris Joynt (St Helens – 1993 Premiership Final, 2000 Super League Grand Final), Andrew Farrell (Wigan – 1996, 1997 Premiership Finals), Rob Burrow (Leeds – 2007, 2011 Super League Grand Finals), Kevin Sinfield (Leeds – 2009, 2012 Super League Grand Finals), James Roby (St Helens – 2014, 2020 Super League Grand Finals) and Danny McGuire (Leeds – 2015, 2017 Super League Grand Finals).
Burrow, winning the award in 2011, became the first player to win the Trophy twice in the Grand Final.
Sinfield is one of just 11 players to have lifted both the Harry Sunderland Trophy and the Lance Todd Trophy (as man of the match in the Challenge Cup Final).
Four players from the losing side have won the Harry Sunderland Trophy: Bill Ashurst (Wigan v St Helens, 1971), Henry Paul (Bradford Bulls v St Helens, 1999), Paul Deacon (Bradford Bulls v St Helens, 2002) and Stefan Ratchford (Warrington Wolves v Wigan Warriors, 2018).
The youngest player to win the trophy is Wigan centre Kris Radlinski (19 years, 42 days) against Leeds in 1995.
The oldest player to win the trophy is St Helens hooker James Roby (35 years, 5 days) against Wigan in 2020.
DOUBLE GRAND FINAL WINNERS
Adrian Morley is the only British player to play in a Grand Final winning side in both England and Australia. Morley played for Sydney Roosters when they defeated New Zealand Warriors 30-8 in 2002, and for Bradford Bulls when they defeated Leeds Rhinos 15-6 in 2005.
Catalans Dragons trio Tyrone May, Mitchell Pearce and Sio Siua Taukeiaho have the chance to join the ranks of players to have won Grand Finals on both sides of the world.
May was a substitute in the Penrith Panthers side that defeated South Sydney Rabbitohs 14-12 in 2021.
Pearce was scrum half in Sydney Roosters’ 26-18 win against Manly Sea Eagles in 2013.
Taukeiaho started at prop for Sydney Roosters in a 21-6 triumph against Melbourne Storm in 2018, and was on the bench in the Roosters’ 14-8 victory against Canberra Raiders the following year.
Overseas players that have completed the Grand Final winning double:
Darren Albert (Newcastle 1997/St Helens 2002)
Marcus Bai (Melbourne 1999/Leeds 2004)
Darren Britt (Sydney Bulldogs 1995/St Helens 2002)
Danny Buderus (Newcastle 2001/Leeds 2011)
Jason Cayless (Sydney Roosters 2002/St Helens 2006)
Lachlan Coote (North Queensland 2015/St Helens 2019, 2020 & 2021)
David Furner (Canberra 1994/Leeds 2004)
Daniel Gartner (Manly 1996/Bradford 2001 & 2003)
Ben Harris (Canterbury 2004/Bradford 2005)
Will Hopoate (Manly 2011/St Helens 2022)
Graham Mackay (Penrith 1991/Bradford 2001)
Danny Moore (Manly 1996/Wigan 1998)
Frank-Paul Nuuausala (Sydney Roosters 2013/Wigan 2016)
Pat Richards (Wests Tigers 2005/Wigan 2010 & 2013)
GRAND FINAL RECORDS
Most finals
14 St Helens (1999, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022)
Most wins
9 St Helens (1999, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2014, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022)
Most losses
6 Wigan Warriors (2000, 2001, 2003, 2014, 2015, 2020)
Highest score
Bradford Bulls 37 Wigan Warriors 6 (2001)
(also widest margin)
Highest aggregate score
Leeds Rhinos 32 St Helens 16 (2011)
Most tries by a team
6 Bradford Bulls (v Wigan Warriors, 2001)
Most points by a losing team
Wigan Warriors 20 Leeds Rhinos 22 (2015)
Biggest attendance
73,512 Leeds Rhinos v Wigan Warriors (2015)
Fastest try
Matty Lees (St Helens) v Leeds Rhinos, 2022 – 2 minutes, 22 seconds
Most tries by a player
3 Michael Withers (Bradford Bulls) v Wigan Warriors, 2001
Most goals by a player
7 (including 1 fg) Paul Deacon (Bradford Bulls) v Wigan Warriors, 2003
Most points by a player
14 (1 try, 5 goals) Kevin Sinfield (Leeds Rhinos) v Warrington Wolves, 2012
14 (1 try, 5 goals) Pat Richards (Wigan Warriors) v Warrington Wolves, 2013
