Super League Grand Final: Leeds Rhinos and Castleford Tigers gear up for showpiece finale
GETTY Leeds ace Rob Burrow
Aristocratic Leeds Rhinos, from a city with a population of over 700,000, have won the Old Trafford showpiece a record seven times. Castleford Tigers, a source of such pride to the 40,000 inhabitants in the former coalmining town, have never previously reached the title decider. The Rhinos won the treble in 2015 before a nightmare relegation scrap last season and are now aiming to give departing legends Rob Burrow and Danny McGuire a fitting last hurrah. Castleford finished top for the first time in their 91-year history and victory in the game that matters most would complete their fairytale rise. The sub-plots surrounding the hugely contrasting but fierce West Yorkshire rivals are endless. Take Castleford boss Daryl Powell. He played for Leeds in the inaugural Grand Final in 1998 against Wigan and later coached the Rhinos before being shown the door in 2003. The following season, Leeds won the title for the first time in 32 years.
GETTY Castleford hooker Paul McShane faces his former club
Cas have beaten us four times this year, but it doesn’t matter. It’s all down to this one game now Leeds ace Rob Burrow
Powell, the newly-crowned Super League Coach of the Year, said: “I agreed to step down and it was tough for me pretty much coming out of playing straight into the role of Leeds head coach. “The responsibility of that is significant but I needed to coach so I went to rugby union and then Featherstone before the Castleford job came up in 2013. It all happened at the right time. “I had a great time at Leeds and bare them no animosity at all, but beating them on Saturday night would cap off everything I’ve done in my career. I can’t put into words how special that would be.” McGuire, who turned down a lucrative offer to join Saracens in 2005, and Burrow have spent their entire careers at Headingley. Leeds-born McGuire said: “Rob and I are such good friends and my mum was crying after my final home against Hull last week. “Things might get a bit emotional again on Saturday but it’s about keeping those emotions in check and delivering a performance.” Burrow, the 5ft 5ins playmaker who hails from Castleford, said: “It’s the perfect game to finish on for me. Cas have beaten us four times this year, but it doesn’t matter. It’s all down to this one game now.” In the Castleford squad are a number of players with links to Headingley.
EXPRESS SPORT Expected Grand Final lineups
GETTY Leeds ace Jack Walker could be key for the Rhinos
Steve Prescott, Man of Steel Luke Gale who was nurtured in the Leeds academy and Zak Hardaker, dramatically axed from Castleford’s squad on Thursday, won three Grand Finals with the Rhinos. Castleford hooker Paul McShane played for Leeds but never appeared in a Grand Final. He has enjoyed the best season of his career and has just coached Leeds-based amateur side Hunslet Parkside to a treble. The boyhood Rhinos fan said: “When you leave a club like Leeds you think your chance of playing in big finals has passed. “But I quickly realised there was something special happening at Castleford and we’ve made massive progress in the last few years. “I’ve still got a lot of good friends at Leeds and, even though I obviously want to beat them, I’m glad to be involved in Danny and Rob’s final game.” Castleford is a rugby league hotbed and captain Michael Shenton grew up in the town on the same street as Burrow. Shenton said: “To represent Castleford in a Grand Final is a magic moment for us as players and certainly a huge honour for me to lead the team out. “It means so much to everyone involved, especially the supporters who have stuck with the club through thick and thin.”
GETTY Grant Millington of Castleford could have a say in the outcome