Super League Grand Final: Records set to tumble when Leeds Rhinos take on St Helens

Here, courtesy of RFL stats expert Daniel Spencer, are some of the Betfred Super League Grand Final records which could be equalled or broken when Leeds Rhinos take on St Helens.

Rhinos and Saints currently share the distinction of most Grand Final wins (eight) and most successive victories (three).

Saints will extend their own mark of most Grand Final appearances to 14, but Rhinos - in their 11th Super League title decider- are aiming to inflict a sixth Old Trafford defeat on the current holders, equalling Wigan Warriors’ record. Four of Saints’ defeats so far, in 2007/8/9 and 11, were to Leeds.

Saints’ veteran hooker James Roby is poised to equal Leeds and Bradford Bulls forward Jamie Peacock’s record of 11 Super League Grand Final appearances, having won the big game five times.

Defeat would see him set a new unwanted record of six reverses in Grand Finals having previously been on the losing side for St Helens in five successive seasons from 2007-2011.

Roby could become the first player to win the Harry Sunderland Trophy as man of the match for the third time and also has the chance to be the oldest player to score in the Super League showpiece.

Ex-Leeds players Rob Burrow, Kevin Sinfield and Danny McGuire are the only other men to win two Harry Sunderland awards in Grand Finals.

The oldest player to score in a Grand Final is Catalans Dragons’ James Maloney who was aged 35 years and 116 days when he kicked three goals last season.

Roby (36 years, 306 days), teammate Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook (36 years, 253 days) and Rhinos’ Matt Prior (35 years, 120 days) could all surpass that.

Saints’ Kristian Woolf is one of only three coaches, along with Leeds’ Brian McLennan (2008 and 2009) and Brian McDermott (2011 and 2012) to have won successive Grand Finals.

Prior and teammate Zane Tetevano, along with Saints’ Will Hopoate, are hoping to complete the double of wins in Super League and NRL Grand Finals, something only 13 players have so far achieved.

Prior won the southern hemisphere title with St George Illawarra Dragons in 2010 (against Sydney Roosters) and Cronulla Sharks in 2016 (against Melbourne Storm) and Tetevano featured in the Sydney Roosters side that won the 2018 NRL showpiece against Melbourne Storm.

Hopoate was part of the victorious Manly Sea Eagles team that defeated New Zealand Warriors in 2011.

Leeds' Jarrod O’Connor could follow in his father Terry’s footsteps as a Super League Grand Final winner.

Terry started at prop in the Wigan team which beat Rhinos in the inaugural Old Trafford showpiece in 1998 and was also on the losing side for the Warriors in 2000 (against St Helens), 2001 and 2003 (both against Bradford Bulls).

Rhinos teammates James Bentley and Zak Hardaker were on opposite sides when they last appeared in a Grand Final, two years ago, played behind closed doors in Hull. Bentley was at second row for Saints in their 8-4 victory over Wigan, who had Hardaker in the centres.

Rhinos full-back/half-back Richie Myler is returning to Old Trafford a decade after his first Grand Final appearance, when he was a try scorer for Warrington Wolves in their defeat by Rhinos.