Super League Grand Final: St Helens vs Salford Red Devils talking points
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St Helens vs Salford
Super League
6:00pm Saturday October
As Salford Red Devils and St Helens do struggle from the Grand Final, the Super League season climaxes on Saturday day.
Since overcoming Wigan Warriors 14-6 at the Grand Final saints come back in Old Trafford for a record 11th time, aiming to raise the Super League trophy for the first time.
Salford, on the other hand, have attained this stage for the first time at the clubs history and have their sights on finishing a victory after being tipped by most pundits to be involved in a relegation battle this year.
We have a peek at some important problems, numbers and team news as Saints along with the Red Devils ready to lock horns for Super League glory…
Itll Be a night time for goodbyes on both sides at Old Trafford on Saturday, using large names departing in the conclusion of the Super League season from St Helens and Salford.
It is their head coach Justin Holbrook who is saying farewell after agreeing to come home and take the same part with NRL unwanted Gold Coast Titans.
Victory in the Grand Final would be the perfect way to end years using the club Holbrook, especially on promising the Challenge Cup after being defeated by Warrington Wolves at Wembley in 39, after falling out.
St Helens captain James Roby made no secret of how the urge to provide Holbrook a is an extra factor for the players and the effect the 43-year-old has made was commended by the hooker.
Justin leaving adds yet another motive for us, Roby said. What he has done for us as a team and also to find the town in general over the last couple of years was fantastic, and there could be nothing more fitting in my eyes compared to ship him home as a winner.
But we have got Salford in front of us who are a quality group, have been playing very well, and completely deserve where they are and the story-line that goes with it
On the Red Devils side, it is a number of the players who have been instrumental in their outstanding 2019 period moving into pastures new.
Of those named in Ian Watsons 19-man squad for the Grand Final, Jake Bibby and Jackson Hastings are linking Wigan Warriors, George Griffin is away to Castleford Tigers and the change is being made by Josh Jones to Hull FC.
Were completely focused in sending them on a high, Salford captain Lee Mossop stated. We have been driving a wave for the last a few months and it is a very good place to be right now.
Everybody is buzzing, but Ill be pleased to lead them out.
St Helens have been the dominant group in Super League this season, wrap the League Leaders Shield and going on to finish top of this table with a margin of 16 points.
It wasnt any real surprise, therefore, to see Holbrook nominated for its trainer of the year award, along with Grand Final reverse number Watson, London Broncos Danny Ward and Warringtons Steve Price.
He carried off that accolade at the Man of Steel awards ceremony on Sunday evening and Holbrook would get his hands on the Super League trophy, while that was a source of gratification.
I was pleased to win the award, but as all of us know it is the trophy most of us would like to win Saturday, Holbrook said.
Im proud of these players, to tell the truth. To finish 16 points clear at the end of the regular season and also the largest winning margin in the background of Super League is an wonderful effort from these, and credit to their consistency this year.
Neither is Holbrook on getting his aspect as best becoming too wrapped up in the emotion of being his final match in charge of St Helens, with his focus.
Ive already been asked a lot about the emotion of this being my last game in charge, but I am not concerned about any of this, Holbrook said.
My attention is on this weeks instruction and the match on Saturday, and whatever happens then I will deal with it then. Until then, we only crack as ordinary and look ahead of Saturday.
Following a mixed first half of the season, Salford was raised by an run sparked by a success away to Warrington on July 12 from play-off outsiders into a third-place finish in the end of the season.
A defeat to Wigan Warriors at the opening across the play-offs failed to derail the Red Devils, that rebounded to see off Castleford Tigers at the elimination game followed closely by avenging the defeat to Wigan in dramatic style Friday.
That saw them reach the Grand Final for the first time in the history of the club and after battling to prevent relegation last year, while it had been a surprise to a lot of observers, especially, those within the team had held this as a target.
Red Devils skipper Lee Mossop put their increase in 2019 down to the impression in the squad, although he sensed until July down to still shook off the consequences of being included in a relegation battle that their fickle form up.
We had high expectations, so we watched how well we had trained and prepared, however, at the beginning of the year something was not clicking, Mossop said.
On reflection, I put that down to a bit of jet-lag from the year earlier. We had been in that struggle for a period there and it can take its toll on you confidence-wise.
For some reason, three or four weeks ago, something clicked. All of us began purchasing believing and working for each other than they were, and also in rugby league it is when slip-ups are made by you, that team that works.
It happens each week if you will have to scramble and it works well for youpersonally, and that is what weve established our success on up to now.
Both of the years Super League regular-season encounters between St Helens and Salford have gone through the former, with Saints triumphing 26-4 at the AJ Bell Stadium in February.
Roby led the way with two attempts for those visitors, whereas Regan Grace, Jonny Lomax and Mark Percival all crossed and Lachlan Coote kicked three objectives. The Red Devils only score came from Derrell Olpherts.
It turned out to be a different story once the sides met Totally Wicked Stadium May, however, in which they played a see-saw competition where the result was in still with second to go.
Two attempts from Coote and one from Makinson assisted St Helens with barely 12 seconds gone into a 16-0 lead. However, the goal-kicking of Krisnan Inu, also attempts from Niall Evalds and Gil Dudson saw the Red Devils turn it around to lead by 2 things in half-time.
Evalds second evaluation and yet another attempt from Robert Lui helped push the lead out for the Saints to mount a comeback, only to 14 points.
With just 35 minutes to go, James Bentley crossed to level the scores and Coote set within the transformation that was game-clinching to seal the win.
Squads that were unchanged have been termed by both head coaches in their previous games for Saturdays Grand Final showdown.
St Helens 19-man team: Jonny Lomax, Tommy Makinson, Kevin Naiqama, Mark Percival, Regan Grace, Theo Fages, Alex Walmsley, James Roby, Luke Thompson, Zeb Taia, Joseph Paolo, Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Morgan Knowles, Kyle Amor, Dom Peyroux, Jack Ashworth, Aaron Smith, James Bentley, Lachlan Coote
Salford Red Devils 19-man group: Niall Evalds, Kris Welham, Jake Bibby, Lee Mossop, Josh Wood, Gil Dudson, Josh Jones, George Griffin, Mark Flanagan, Joey Lussick, Adam Walker, Greg Burke, Tyrone McCarthy, Logan Tomkins, Ken Sio, Krisnan Inu, Tui Lolohea, Jackson Hastings, Josh Johnson
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