The qualification process for the Grand Final is a long and tortuous one - an endurance test for the body and mind. It takes 189 Super League games and another eight Play Off matches to get to the Big Event. The two teams that finished in pole positions in mid-September are now on the starting grid, waiting for the green light to go on Saturday night.

Leeds survived intact after the puncture, engine problems and pit lane troubles of March and April when they lost 4 of 6 matches, one of them against new promoted Salford.

An unexpected crash in the Challenge Cup Semi-Final has upset the smooth running of the St Helens club and taken them some time to recover, but Play Off wins against Huddersfield and Wigan has them revved up and ready to go on a fast track at Old Trafford.

Paul Clough: unsung hero for Saints

For the record, it's 2-1 to the Saints this year but the Rhinos have the most recent victory stored in their memory bank. All 3 games have been close and it's highly unlikely that the Grand Final will end up a one-sided affair.

A detailed analysis of the 240 minutes of competitive action between these two great clubs this year suggests a Grand Final that will be decided in the last few minutes. The aggregate score in 2009 is 58-54 to St Helens and this game will test both teams more than in the last two Grand Finals.

Do you have the necessary skill when under pressure and fatigued? Can you demonstrate this at speed? For 4800 seconds?

Leeds

A forensic investigation into the Rhinos tactics shows that they like to play the game with more width than St Helens. They use their skills to get the ball out wide then unleash the power of their best players. Almost 40% of their tries are scored by the two wingers and full back. Ryan Hall is the top try scorer in Super League and is part of a powerful left side attack that the Rhinos love to use.

Leeds have scored nine tries in games against St Helens this year, seven of those have been on the left side and all of them have featured Keith Senior. Add to this the imposing presence of Ali Lauititi on that side, and you can understand if some St Helens players don't sleep that well this week.

Big Ali is a Polynesian magician who tends to do his tricks inside where Senior is positioned. With hands the size of a JCB bucket and a grip that's stickier than some chewing gum on your shoe, he has the ability to offload the ball to fast moving support as he's falling to the ground. It's almost undefendable.

Of the 350 men who have played in Super League this year, not one has made more breaks than Ryan Hall or Keith Senior. The Saints tasked with defending against these may need divine assistance!

I hate to talk about referees, the game is about players and always should be, but the penalty count in this match may prove highly important. In games between these teams this year, almost 40% of the tries scored have started with a tap penalty. Now you see why the referee's decisions become important.

Leeds record in 2009 isn't great. Only four teams have conceded more penalties than them, and they're playing against a team that are rarely penalised. St Helens should be congratulated, not just for reaching the Grand Final, but for playing the game in a manner which makes it highly entertaining to watch.

Perhaps it's a legacy from Daniel Anderson, but they rarely attempt to interfere with their opponent after they've tackled him. Quiz question: Which is the only team in Super League not to receive a yellow card in 27 games this year? (Easy Answer: St Helens).

Next Quiz Question: Who are the best team at supporting breaks and turning them into tries? (Yes I know they are easy questions, but this is the big one for St Helens to answer on Saturday night. Webb, Maguire, Hall and Burrow have a private competition taking place to see which one of them can be there in support when a team-mate creates an opportunity for points. Mick Potter's men need to show intelligence in their cover defence to save tries in this game.

St Helens

Without oversimplifying things, the Saints use a different principle to win games. They concentrate their efforts on dominating the middle third of the field. They fire a rapid succession of plays down the central channel and wait for a half-break, followed by a quick play-the-ball before exploding into life. It's no surprise that Roby and Cunningham have made the most metres as they scoot from the ruck area. Their unsung hero, Paul Clough, makes selfless charges and provides a quick play-the-ball from which many of St Helens tries originate.

The main strike weapon is Leon Pryce, closely followed by perhaps the quite achiever for the Red and Whites, Tony Puletua. Some people's perception of Paul Wellens is that he lacks pace, but I'm not sure that this is true. He certainly knows where to be and when to be there and is just as likely as his counterpart to cross the line and score. Alongside Maurie Fa'asavalu, Wellens is one of the most difficult and awkward players to tackle and looks primed for a big game this week.

In my opinion, James Graham is slightly ahead of James Peacock in terms of the damage that he could do to the opposition. Both are incredible human beings and do almost three times the average for a player in their position. Graham edges it slightly because of his ball playing ability. His ability to pass before the defensive line has led to numerous tries this year, none better than the one scored by Lee Gilmour at Leeds on 4th September. The combination of the pass and the pace was too much for even Leeds to cope with.

Leeds are a very quick team, but in games between them this year, St Helens have been too fast for the Rhinos. They may not have the power and physical presence of those Yorkshire giants but this year's underdogs have an ability to think, react and move quicker than them.

Goal kicking

If these sides are as close as I say, it adds extra pressure to the men responsible for goal kicking. The Rhinos have a regular kicker with big game experience and the temperament of Roger Federer or Bjorn Borg when asked to deliver. Kevin Sinfield knows how it feels to have the outcome resting on his ability to convert the kick. He has a 78 per cent success rate this year and will have mentally rehearsed the 'big kick' scenario.

St Helens have a huge dilemma. Assuming that both Kyle Eastmond and Sean Long play, Mick Potter needs to decide which one to go with. Long has the same experiences as Sinfield, but isn't as good as him. He's only managed to convert 63 per cent of his attempts. Eastmond, a nominee for Young Player of the Year, and only 20 years of age, is a better kicker with 70 per cent success to his name. He was given the job in last week's qualifying semi-final against Wigan but only managed one from three and has never played in a Grand Final before. Who would you go with?

Conclusion

At the highest level in sport, it's usually a magic moment which determines the outcome. Last year, it was a freakish kick by Lee Smith which he managed to turn into a 40/20. The Rhinos scored in the next set and the game went their way. With 34 of the most talented and skilful players in the competition on show it will take something superhuman to win this year's Grand Final...

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