Super League Grand Final Tips: Robins to claim historic treble
After a long and dramatic campaign, the Super League title will be decided in Manchester on Saturday, as Hull KR take on reigning champions Wigan Warriors in the Grand Final at Old Trafford.
Seven-time Super League champions Wigan return to the Theatre of Dreams 12 months on since lifting the trophy at the end of last season after a 9-2 win against Rovers.
Hull KR go in search of a maiden Super League crown and, having finished top of the table at the end of the regular season and winning the Challenge Cup, a historic treble is on the cards for the Robins this weekend.
Team News
Neither team has reported any significant news after their efforts in the Super League playoff semi-finals.
Hull KR have been given a boost with Jared Waerea-Hargreaves available for Saturday, having had a successful appeal against a three-game ban for a head hit.
It will be the 36-year-old New Zealander’s final game, with Waerea-Hargreaves already confirming he will be retiring at the end of the season.
Tip 1 – Hull KR to win @ 6/5
Looking for revenge after last season’s Grand Final heartbreak, Hull KR look ready to finally get their hands on that elusive Super League trophy on Saturday.
Rather than letting the Grand Final defeat last year derail their progress, the Robins have gone from strength to strength under head coach Willie Peters.
Winning the Challenge Cup this season for the first time since 1980 was a big step forward for Rovers and showed they can get over the line on the big occasion, following an 8-6 win over Warrington Wolves at Wembley Stadium.
Hull KR will have learnt plenty from their last Old Trafford visit, while they go into this Grand Final having beaten the Warriors 10-6 in their last meeting with the Lancashire outfit in Wigan back in August.
Another tight encounter might well be on the cards in Manchester but this Hull KR side are well priced to be the ones celebrating come the full-time whistle.
Tip 2 – Oliver Gildart anytime tryscorer @ 9/4
The hero for the Robins in their 20-12 semi-final victory over St Helens, centre Oliver Gildart is a player to look out for in the anytime tryscorer market for this showdown against the Warriors.
A dynamic runner with sharp footwork and an eye for the try line, Gildart has been one of KR’s most consistent attacking threats all season.
A player who started his professional career at Wigan, playing over 140 games for the club, Gildart has the opportunity to get one over on his former employers this weekend, adding an extra layer of intrigue to an already fascinating contest.
Gildart comes into this game in great form, after he managed to bag himself a second-half brace of tries in that victory over Saints at Craven Park in the semis.
His confidence will be sky-high, and his combination play with Mikey Lewis could again prove decisive on the biggest stage.
In what is expected to be a close encounter at Old Trafford, the 29-year-old Manchester United fan is good value to produce a try-scoring performance at the Theatre of Dreams on Saturday to help the Robins secure treble glory and cap off a truly memorable campaign.
Odds correct at time of publication but subject to change