A decade on from playing a part in one of the Challenge Cup's greatest upsets, Senior is adamant Rhinos can create a similar shock against St Helens in rugby league's other major showpiece.

Saints will walk out at Old Trafford this evening as odds-on favourites to snatch back the trophy which Rhinos won 12 months ago, but Senior insisted the Leeds players have no intention of letting go without a fight.

"It is a massive game," he said. "You play all year, you have the ups and downs all season, you go through 27 league rounds and this will be our 35th game this year.

"There's a lot of hard work gone into it and failure's not really an option for us. It is definitely one we want to win. The odds don't bother us.

"I have been there with Sheffield in the Challenge Cup final (against Wigan in 1998) – we were 14-1, there's never been bigger odds against a team winning, but we did it on the day.

"There's no pressure being the underdog, all the pressure's on the favourites. We will just concentrate on our own game and make sure we get that in order. That's massively important."

Senior, though, admitted Leeds are going to have to get everything right on the night.

He added: "We are going to have to play the best we have all year. They are definitely the form side.

"They've got dangers all over the park and they are very tough opposition, but Wigan pushed them to the wire a few weeks ago and we beat them over at their place early in the season, so they are definitely a team that can be beaten.

"We had a tough encounter with Wigan last week and that was something we needed after the hiding we got from St Helens in the qualifying semi. Sometimes you have to take the negatives and turn them into positives and that's what we are doing with the defeat we had against Saints last time."

Senior has a 100 per cent record in Grand Finals, having starred for Leeds in 2004 and 2007, but missing the defeat to Bradford Bulls three years ago due to an ankle injury.

He has played more games and scored more tries than any other player in Super League's history, but – with just a year remaining on his Leeds contract and now into his career's twilight years at the age of 32 – the big occasion means as much now as it has ever done.

"I don't know if they are getting more special, but big games now are still as enjoyable as the first few," he said.

"The excitement and the build-up is as special as the first one, it's definitely exciting and as players we are looking forward to it and raring to go.

"For me, it is great to play in any game. Whenever I pull the shirt on, I wear it with pride, but this is going to be a great occasion.

"It'll be a packed house at Old Trafford and we want to finish the season on a high.