Hull KR's Grand Final day out: four key talking points
The Robins look to make history by winning their first Super league title
Hull KR will take part in their first ever Super League Grand Final this Saturday, facing a Wigan Warriors team who have won the competition six times.
Rovers will travel to Old Trafford with the backing of their vocal fan base who have turned Craven Park into something of a fortress this season, helping their side to a second-pkace finish in the table behind the Warriors.
Despite Challenge Cup Final appearances, you have to go back as far as 1985 to find the last Robins side to claim the title, all be it long before the modern Super League-era.
Hull City Council Leader Cllr Mike Ross told us Rovers success is a positive for a city that, so often in Rugby League terms, is divided down the middle. He said:
"Hull is a rugby league city, so to see one of the teams from the city make it all the way to the final and have the chance of actually lifting the crown is fantastic.
"Sport is really important for the people of Hull. The clubs in the city do a tremendous amount for the area. What it also does, of course, is put the city on the map for all the right reasons."
While victory on Saturday would see Rovers make history, Wigan themselves are looking to re-write the record books, knowing a win would see them become the first club to win all four major trophies in the same season.
Here are some key talking points ahead of the final:
Award winners
Rovers' stellar season was recognised this week with Mikey Lewis being crowned 2024 Man of Steel on Tuesday night and Willie Peters pipping Grand Final counterpart Matt Peet to the Coach of the Year award.
Fast-maturing 23-year-old Lewis has been instrumental in his side's surge this term, and crucially has held his nerve in pressure-filled games towards the end of the regular season - not least the 24-0 win at Leigh - as Rovers fended off their rivals to secure a crucial top-two slot.
Stat attack
Rovers are only the 10th team to contest a Grand Final since the event was inaugurated in 1998, and the last first-time finalists to win it were St Helens the following year.
Such raw statistics may point to Wigan retaining the trophy, but KR chief Peters has instilled a strong confidence in his side, and their narrow 24-20 loss in the two clubs' most recent meeting last month - when two untimely yellow cards cost Rovers dear - will boost the underdogs' belief.
Crowded house
A crowd in excess of 65,000 is expected at Old Trafford - the biggest for a Grand Final since 2017 - which is testament to the quality of a match-up that has encouraged wider interest in the sport.
Tribute to a legend
Tomorrow's 'player of the match' will become the first recipient of the Rob Burrow Award.
The trophy is due be presented after the game by Rob's dad, Geoff, in memory of the former Leeds Rhinos and England player - who died earlier this year after his battle with motor neurone disease.