Warrington and Wakefield set for Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford on Saturday evening
Warrington Wolves and Wakefield Trinity will contest the Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford on Saturday evening, with Warrington seeking a first league title since 1955 and Wakefield chasing their first major trophy since 1968.
A startling statistic circulating on social media highlights that of European towns and cities with populations above 200,000, only two lack a professional football team, and those two settlements — Wakefield and Warrington — will be at the centre of the rugby league showpiece. Wakefield reached Old Trafford after a rise from the Championship two years ago and will be appearing in their maiden Grand Final, while Warrington arrive having been to the final on four previous occasions.
Warrington’s 70-year wait for a league title has long been a source of derision among sections of the rugby league community, a history the club’s players say fuels their determination. Hooker Danny Walker, who was born in Warrington, said: “It pisses me off. It’s always been part and parcel of playing for Warrington and it’s up to us to shut people up and stop that song being sung.”
Walker emphasised how personally meaningful a win would be for supporters and for players who have experienced defeat at the national finals before. “I still live locally and, even this week, we’ve had people stopping us, telling us what it would mean to them,” Walker said. “There’s people that have been going for 70 years and never seen it. We know what it means. You don’t have to worry about that. I’ve been stood on the Wembley pitch as a loser, watching another team win the Challenge Cup and I’ve been in the stands enough times at Old Trafford watching us lose. I’ve been to three of the four, including in 2018 just after I’d signed for the club. It’s an exciting week, but I know what it feels like to lose here.”
George Williams, who the article says “won everything there was to win with Wigan” and was ridiculed five years ago after returning from the NRL to join Warrington, spoke of his personal desire to deliver the title. “I’ve been there before and won it, but I’ve never wanted to win a game as much in my life,” he said. “I was bold enough to say it back then and I’ll stand on my word. The goal has never changed over the last five years. We’ve missed the mark at times, but now we’ve got this opportunity.” The piece notes Williams could fulfil that promise in his final game for the Wolves before returning to Australia.
Warrington’s turnaround has also been framed around head coach Sam Burgess, who faced an internal review after an eighth-placed finish last season but remained in post. The article credits Burgess with reversing the club’s fortunes and draws a parallel with his playing career, recalling his role in helping South Sydney Rabbitohs win a first Premiership in 43 years. Burgess said: “It was one of the most appetising things about the job. I’d be lying if I wasn’t very interested in breaking the drought when I took the job.” The report adds Burgess has leaned on his mentor, the legendary Australian coach Wayne Bennett, during preparations and that he has insisted pressure from the club’s past does not weigh heavily on his squad.
Burgess will lead Warrington into his first Grand Final as a head coach on Saturday, and the article concludes by stating: “On Saturday we will find out if that is true.”