In all the years that Betfred have sponsored the Super League, founder Fred Done probably never imagined that he’d be seeing his hometown club Salford Red Devils competing for the biggest prize in UK rugby league.
Only a select few teams have won the Grand Final – Leeds Rhinos, Wigan Warriors, Bradford Bulls and Salford’s opponents this Saturday, St Helens – but Warrington Wolves have reached the final on four occasions. Salford have never been close to a Grand Final appearance previously and their history is filled with more ups and downs than most clubs but there has been a remarkable transformation since the avoided relegation by the width of a rugby post in 2017 and were again involved in the relegation qualifiers 12 months ago.
Super League Grand Final Winners Since 2009
| YEAR | ATTENDANCE | RESULT | HARRY SUNDERLAND MAN OF THE MATCH TROPHY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 64,892 | Wigan Warriors Beat Warrington Wolves, 12-4 |
Stefan Ratchford Warrington Wolves |
| 2017 | 72,827 | Leeds Rhinos Beat Castleford Tigers, 24-6 |
Danny McGuire Leeds Rhinos |
| 2016 | 70,202 | Wigan Warriors Beat Warrington Wolves, 12-6 |
Liam Farrell Wigan Warriors |
| 2015 | 73,512 | Leeds Rhinos Beat Wigan Warriors, 22-20 |
Danny McGuire Leeds Rhinos |
| 2014 | 70,102 | St Helens Beat Wigan Warriors, 14-6 |
James Roby St Helens |
| 2013 | 66,281 | Wigan Warriors Beat Warrington Wolves, 30-16 |
Blake Green Wigan Warriors |
| 2012 | 70,676 | Leeds Rhinos Beat Warrington Wolves, 26-18 |
Kevin Sinfield Leeds Rhinos |
| 2011 | 69,107 | Leeds Rhinos Beat St. Helens, 32-16 |
Rob Burrow Leeds Rhinos |
| 2010 | 71,526 | Wigan Warriors Beat St. Helens, 22-10 |
Thomas Leuluai Wigan Warriors |
| 2009 | 63,259 | Leeds Rhinos Beat St. Helens, 18-10 |
Kevin Sinfield Leeds Rhinos |
St Helens Form and Team News
St Helens were surprisingly beaten by Warrington Wolves in the Challenge Cup Final at Wembley but, that day apart, this season could hardly have gone any better for Justin Holbrook’s side.
They won the League Leaders’ Shield with weeks to spare and lost just three matches in the regular season, two of those against the bottom club when fielding weakened teams. They eventually finished their scheduled campaign a massive 16 points ahead of Wigan Warriors with Salford a further two points behind.
Holbrook is leaving the Saints after the Grand Final to return to the NRL with Gold Coast Titans so his players will want to give him a proper send-off. They also won the Leaders’ Shield in 2018 but have totally dominated domestic rugby league this year and been rightly receiving plaudits from all angles. They won the league by a record points margin and cruised to victory in their play-off game against current champions Wigan.
There is quality throughout the Saints’ ranks, from Johnny Lomax and Lachlan Coote to centre Kevin Naiqama and forward Luke Thompson, probably the best prop in world rugby at present. Long-serving Tommy Makinson supplies the pace to their attacks but all the pressure will be on Saints.They lost in last year’s Challenge Cup semi-final, they lost in last year’s play-off semi-final and they lost in the Challenge Cup Final this year. This is their first Grand Final appearance since 2014 and there is plenty of hard work to be done before James Roby can get his hands on the trophy.
Salford Red Devils Form and Team News
Salford’s defensive resilience has been advertised in the play-offs. They shut out Castleford Tigers and then conceded just a single try against Wigan as they overturned the Warriors at the DW Stadium having lost at the same venue at the end of the regular season just two weeks earlier.
Ian Watson’s side have a tremendous team spirit but their game is based on pressurising the opposition into making mistakes. It is difficult to maintain for an entire 80 minutes and even more so in the red-hot atmosphere of a Grand Final in front of 70,000 fans at Old Trafford.
Gil Dudson is a huge players for the Red Devils as he’s the one who often breaks up play. He will also quickly release the ball when tackled himself and set up counter-attacks. Full-back Niall Evalds is another who likes a tackle but he’s also a talented runner who often links up well with Krisnan Inu, solidly-built for a winger.
But their star man is Jackson Hastings, the Super League’s Man Of Steel in 2019. Still only 23, The Australian has been transformed by a switch to Salford and he makes his team tick. Josh Jones played for St Helens in their last Grand Final success five years ago and is looking forward to a return to Old Trafford and the chance to put one over his old team. Though formerly a centre, he’s shone in the second row under Ian Watson and has been called up to the Great Britain squad. This is his final match for Salford, however, as he’s joining Hull FC ahead of next season. He’s one of several of Salford’s key players who are moving on so this is an all-or-nothing game for the Red Devils with a further rebuild required ahead of next year.
St Helens v Salford Red Devils Best Match Odds
St Helens 3/10, Draw 33/1, Salford Red Devils 10/3 (Odds correct at 11.00am October 10)
St Helens v Salford Red Devils Head to Heads
The Saints have won their last six matches against Salford and have scored at least 25 points in each of their games.
St Helens v Salford Red Devils Predictions
To label St Helens as a team who choke on the big occasions is probably unfair. But Super League is really all about winning the final game of the year so Holbrook’s team will be under a fair amount of pressure.
Considering where they were 12 months ago and the fact that they were in an even worse state 12 months before that, Salford’s rise this year has been little short of astounding. They have remarkable team spirit but Saints really do hold all the aces in terms of quality. One can envisage St Helens strangling the resistance of the Red Devils and coasting to a win, which will likely be more efficient than spectacular.
St Helens are 15/8 with Boylesports to win by 1-10 in that firm’s Winning Margin market. Johnny Lomax is a general 5/1 to be named Man Of The Match.
