The Super League Grand Final in numbers

With selection on Friday night, Wigan captain SEAN O’LOUGHLIN will become the oldest player to feature in a Super League Grand Final – in his last game before retirement.

O’Loughlin will be 38 years and 3 days old on the day of the game, which would surpass the current record held by JAMIE PEACOCK (37 years and 300 days in Leeds’ 2015 victory against Wigan).

Peacock also holds the record for oldest Grand Final winner, set in the same game.

If selected, Wigan’s GEORGE BURGESS would have the chance to become only the second British player (following ADRIAN MORLEY) to play in a Grand Final-winning side in both England and Australia. Burgess played for South Sydney Rabbitohs when they defeated Canterbury Bulldogs 30-6 in 2014. Wigan coach ADRIAN LAM has one Super League Grand Final appearance to his name, scoring the Warriors’ only try in a 37-6 defeat to Bradford Bulls in 2001.

ST HELENS will extend their own record of most Grand Final appearances to twelve on Friday night.

Whoever loses the game will set a new, unwanted record for most defeats in a Grand Final.

Both the Saints (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011) and Warriors (2000, 2001, 2003, 2014 and 2015) have previously lost on five occasions in the Super League showpiece.

Previous Super League Grand Final meetings:

2014: St Helens 14, Wigan 6 (at Old Trafford, Manchester)

2010: St Helens 10, Wigan 22 (at Old Trafford, Manchester)

2000: St Helens 29, Wigan 16 (at Old Trafford, Manchester)

Jamie Peacock holds the record for most Grand Final appearances, having 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 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.

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.

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).

Leon Pryce is the youngest Grand Finalist, playing for Bradford on his 18th birthday in 1999. 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

Wigan’s Ben Flower is the only player to be sent off in a Super League Grand Final – shown the red card by referee Phil Bentham in the second minute of the Warriors’ 2014 defeat to St Helens for punching Saints’ Lance Hohaia.

No player has been sin-binned 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)

Six 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) 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 Leeds scrum-half Danny McGuire (34 years, 306 days) against Castleford in 2017.