Super League: Wigan's Liam Farrell tipping a passion-filled Grand Final against St Helens
Thursday 9 October 2014 15:55, UK
Wigan second row Liam Farrell is expecting a passion-filled derby on Saturday when the champions take on rivals St Helens in the Grand Final.
Only Saints finished above the Warriors in the Super League table this season while the teams were evenly matched in league action, managing one win apiece on their travels.
Like us they're got some great youngsters and it's a major selling point for the Grand Final that both sides have plenty of passionate, home-grown players.
While Farrell accepts Saints will be confident of causing an upset at the home of Manchester United on Saturday, he believes his team-mates will have too much in their locker to relinquish their crown.
Both teams have blooded youngsters throughout the campaign and Farrell thinks that having plenty of home-grown talent on show will make for an even better spectacle at Old Trafford.
“Saints will be quite confident as they've had a good season but we've really come to the fore over the past few weeks,” he told the club’s official website.
“They've got a lot of firepower in the middle of the field and, like us, they like to get on top of their opposition. Whoever dominates will go a long way towards winning the game.
Contenders
“They've had a lot of injuries and nobody can deny that they did well to win the League Leaders. At the start of the year they were definitely considered as one of the main contenders but as they started to pick up injuries people started to write them off.
“They have dealt with their injuries well, giving young lads a chance and that's one of the most attractive things about them at the minute.
“Like us they're got some great youngsters and it's a major selling point for the Grand Final that both sides have plenty of passionate, home-grown players.”
Farrell was also full of praise for head coach Shaun Wane, adding: “He's a great coach and he has developed a fantastic culture at the club.
“He's more than happy to give home-grown lads a go in the first-team but will also compliment that with other youngsters such as John Bateman and Dan Sarginson, both of whom have done a great job.
"If you'd have looked at our team last season you'd have probably thought that we couldn't get a much younger squad than we had. But this season we've seen that isn't the case, Joe Burgess for example has had a cracking year.”
