There have been many sporting finals that have seen the major underdog come out on top. For example the 1998 Challenge Cup Final when Sheffield Eagles beat Wigan against all the odds, The 1999 European Cup Final when Manchester United had to totally reconstruct there midfield to compensate for the suspended Roy Keane and Paul Scholes and beat Bayern Munich. That's only mentioning a couple of examples but we are in the same position this weekend. What we have achieved is nothing short of exceptional in 2014. Losing our major players for the year (Lomax and Walsh) added to the fact Jon Wilkin has been out for a good few weeks now makes finishing top and making the Grand Final even more impressive.

As for the game on Saturday its down to us performing for 80 minutes. If we give 100% desire, commitment and never say die attitude we can beat THEM! I would pin up on the changing room wall every bit of extra motivation I could find and drum it into the players that Wigan only feel that they have to turn up on Saturday, they have no respect for us of any kind.

Nathan Brown has to come up with the team talk of his life, if he does this and we show the 100% desire, commitment and never say die attitude like I mentioned before we can take this game.

I am confident, probably more confident on this game than any other Grand Final we have been too before. Nobody believes outside the club that we have a hope in hell of winning. That creates a dangerous animal..

Would just like to say to all have a great day and sing loud and proud on Saturday. Hope you all enjoy yourselves and we get the result that this club deserves.

Agree, but all the exact to what you say is true! in being far too confident!

For me I can't call it, though I do feel with organisers on the pitch Wigan have a slight edge, but on the day it's completely open, anything can happen and that is the games we all enjoy most.

I am confident but not over confident pal. There's a difference

What you say about sides being over confident goes without saying, you know it, I know it and so does SW and the rest of the team. Even if Wigan is slight favourites they are professional enough to know that if they take that thought onto the field it will probably mean defeat for them. The same in reverse can be said for the Saints, you can tell them over and over again that they have just as much of a chance (which I think they have) and they may think the same when they take the field, but the subconscious is a very strange thing, and to how it will play out on Saturday for either side, well we will just have to wait and see. Bear in mind even if the rest of the team have the correct attitude, it will only take one or two to throw a Spaniard in the works!

Your optimism is admirable. I'd obviously love to be wrong but I simply don't see how the style of play we have recently (and necessarily) adopted will get enough points on the board to win.

There's only really one obvious thing that we've got going for us, our big guys are bigger than their big guys.
Unfortunately, Wigan's forwards generally make a mockery of that by out enthusing us.
If the likes of Walmsley, Masoe, LMS, Manu, Soliola, Amor and LMS play like they can, there's a chance we could bust them up the middle.

However, since this is our only plain and viable plan, Wigan will be geared up to resist it.

Our Forwards just need to man up on Saturday and not get bullied, Just play like at they did at the JJB in June.
Mose needs to attack O'lockers again and be the bad boy all over the pitch.

I'd start by pushing your hand into Micky Mac's sore face



Then hope our attack is as good as against Cas in the playoffs.

Spot on.

Yep, that should be the plan. I must admit I like this so inferior, we can't win, underdog tag

Whilst I'm sure Wigan won't take anything for granted, it won't do us any harm.

We used to beat the larger Bradford pack when it counted because for that one week, we could raise our game and play like men 5 kilos heavier, because we knew we had to raise our game. We seem to be in a reverse situation - a bigger but less fancied pack, so if our big lads lose their soft underbelly and we play 5 kilos heavier, just for 80 minutes, then maybe, just maybe...

You gotta have hope.

There's a few things that I feel we must do well in order to win, slip on any of them and we will lose IMO:

1. Shut down O'Loughlin. Smash him hard and smash him early, if he gets his tail up, Wigan will win.
2. Kick early and chase hard, turn around their back 3. You can not give Bowen, Burgess and Charnley too much space in returning the ball. Allowing them to catch it on the fly will only end badly.
3. Do not let Blake Green show and go. He'll ghost through the line in the Second Row/Centre channel as he has done so many times before if we give him space.
4. Be AGGRESIVE. If we lose the collision in the middle it's game over. This also ties in with ensuring good line speed throughout the game.
5. Play error free rugby. If we turn the ball over in our own half like we did against Warrington at LP, they'll put a cricket score on us.

The final point which would help us massively but isn't a necessity to win:

6. Rile McIllorum. Get our forwards to rub their hands on his face, talk to him in the tackles and wind him up. Get him to lash out but don't retaliate, take a punch for the team and Wigan are a man down.

There are other factors that might come into play from the pack.

Soliola and Manu there last chance to get a Grand Final Ring so they may raise there
game.
Wellens could wind back the clock for one final performance.
Walmsley and Amor will play big for this one.
Mose will not fear anyone in this game and play similar to the DW game.


Finally its Brown's last game and ALL the TEAM WILL PLAY FOR HIM.