Shamoon Hafez
BBC Sport at Old Trafford

I'm going to be in trouble if I get any closer to the touchline.

Image source, BBC Sport

Off go the Wigan players for the last words before kick-off, Warrington soon follow.

Image source, BBC Sport

Image source, BBC Sport

Image source, SWPIX.COM

Naturally all the hype in the build-up to this game has been around the departures of the Wigan personnel, but one man also heading for the exit door on the other side could go out with a bang.

Tyrone Roberts swaps the industrial north west for the beautiful beaches of the Gold Coast next season.

What better way to say goodbye than to direct your team to a first title since 1955?

Now, I promise Warrington fans that I am not picking on you. But how could Catalans Dragons winning the Challenge Cup not be one of the moments of the season?

It was the first time the cup has been won by a club outside of England, let alone the United Kingdom.

The game itself was a bruiser, with three tries to two in the Dragons favour as Catalans held their nerve in bright sunshine to deny today's finalists the prize.

Cue the tears, the emotions and the champagne, as the cup headed for Perpignan.

There's one particularly interested spectator at Old Trafford tonight, England coach Wayne Bennett,

He'll be watching the game intently, checking on his international contingent for the forthcoming Test series against New Zealand.

When he's not disturbing the BBC 5 live lads that is. He hates the media duties normally...

Image source, BBC Sport

Shamoon Hafez
BBC Sport at Old Trafford

Image source, BBC Sport

Warrington boss Steve Price is taking in the atmosphere in his first Grand Final.

The Wire fans behind him are situated in the Stretford End at Old Trafford.

There is a reason that NFL teams have a specialist kicker in American Football. To land those all-important goals, they want absolute, total and unerring focus. Why distract them by making them tackle or pass? Just get them kicking.

Unfortunately, for St Helens scrum-half Danny Richardson there wasn't the luxury of spending 80 minutes thinking about his big moment. He'd been scrambling about with his teammates in the hurly-burly of Super League battle.

So it makes it all the more remarkable that the 22-year-old with - as Alan Partridge might have put it, a foot like a traction engine - found the energy, the stamina and the distance to bang over his 54-metre penalty goal with the clock in the red.

One last decisive act. Two points for Saints, Warrington left to rue another last-gasp defeat.

Unsurprisingly, Wigan and Warrington are no strangers to each other's company at Old Trafford. Two of the Wire's three Grand Final defeats have come against the Warriors, like in 2016 as shown above...

One man who has been there on each occasion, is England and Warrington full-back Stefan Ratchford. He's got some unfinished business.

"Three times now I've had to watch the other team walking up to pick up the trophy," Ratchford told BBC Sport.

"My only experience of winning in a big stadium like that is at Wembley in the Challenge Cup, you can't begin to explain the feeling of winning and knowing you're going to pick up the trophy.

"We know Wigan are unbelievable, it's going to be a tough game, but it's one we're confident we can come on top in."

Sorry Wire fans. Your turn comes later.

It could be the kind of finish we might expect at Old Trafford this evening, as two teams with very little between them fought out another modern classic.

Wigan led 12-4 at half-time, Warrington fought back in the second-half. The game was in the balance.

Shaun Wane described his side as 'busted' at the end of the dramatic finish, but a side with inexperience showed its composure, notably in the shape of deputising stand-off Josh Woods, to clip over a match-winning drop goal.

Steve Price was left to wonder what might have been, particularly as Tyrone Roberts missed with his own drop goal effort just after.

They'll need it, it's nesh as they say.

Kyle: Hope Warrington are finally crowned champions tonight. It would be great to see someone new win it for a change. If they are to do it they have to get off to a good start. Wigan are great front-runners and tough to peg back once they are in front.

Shamoon Hafez
BBC Sport at Old Trafford

I've just had a walk down to pitchside and the Wigan players are being put through their paces.

Some bone-crunching thuds going in even before the game.

Rather them than me!

Image source, BBC Sport

Personally, this was the best game I think I saw all season (Apart from Origin game two). It was a belter on a roasting hot day.

After back-to-back Challenge Cups, Hull FC were going for a hat-trick to emulate a feat last achieved by St Helens in 2008.

As it happened, the Saints were the side to bring their dominance to a shuddering halt on a gloriously sunny June afternoon.

In a pulsating encounter, Hull twice fought back to give their fans hope but Saints just about had enough to hang on.

It kept alive Saints' hopes of the treble but there would be a surprise in store for them in the next round.

Whether your neutral, primrose and blue or cherry and white. Stick with us. We'll keep you right.

(I didn't intend that to rhyme, but I'm pleased it did.)

HALF AN HOUR TO GO.

Image source, swpix.com

Image source, SWPIX.COM

Whether it's an omen for the men who yet to play, but Wigan Warriors Women have picked up some silverware and in doing so denied Leeds Rhinos the treble with a close-fought 18-16 win.

Skipper Gemma Walsh hoisted the cup aloft at the Manchester Regional Arena after a proper ding-dong, end-to-end battle.

Leeds had already won the Challenge Cup and League Leaders' Shield but were pipped by a late penalty goal.

Shamoon Hafez
BBC Sport at Old Trafford

Wigan's departing full-back Sam Tomkins got a great ovation when he came out to warm up.

But the blustery, rainy conditions are already causing problems, missing with a couple of his conversions from out wide.

It's going to be a difficult evening for the players out there tonight, who will hold their nerve... and the ball?

Aye, we saw what the weather did to a pure footballing side like Castleford last year. These two might need to stuff it up the old jumper tonight.

One to please the 'Pie Eaters' among us here...

Not for the first time in 2018, Wigan needed a drop goal to pull them clear in a tight encounter, and this trip to Headingley was no exception.

Leeds had been 8-0 up with eight minutes to play, but on Friday the 13th their evening turned into a nightmare as Wigan roared back to level.

Sam Tomkins proved to be the match-winner, slotting a drop-goal to seal an important win.

Leeds were thrashed 46-8 by Wigan in June, as the struggling Rhinos parted company with head coach Brian McDermott.

Image source, BBC Sport

Warington Wolves head coach Steve Price on BBC Radio 5 live:

"The boys are excited and ready to go - we need all our players to give there best performance.

"I feel that my coaching staff are one of the best in the league and I like to think we leave no stone unturned and we've given the boys the best possible preparation and tools to perform on this big occasion.

"It's going to be one hell of a game, two cracking teams going hard at it."

Rugby League World editor Matt Shaw has got his priorities sorted.

He's nestled in the press box ready for the Grand Final to kick-off but he's also managed to get his beloved Fax on the screen.

Image source, BBC Sport

Wigan Warriors head coach Shaun Wane on BBC Radio 5 live:

"It's all about performing, it's going to be a very tough game and we need to be very good to beat Warrington but my team are capable of doing that.

"We can play in the wet, we've won big games in the wet so we're not that bothered about the conditions - we have got a game plan.

"To get a win here would be a dream come true."

This might be more familiar to those of you scanning this on your phones at Old Trafford.

I don't think I've ever been at a ground where I have been more amazed that a game had gone ahead, than I was when I got to Wheldon Road on Easter Monday.

It's fair to say The Mend-a-Hose Jungle could have done with more than a few hoses, as groundsman Stuart Vause and some soggy staff worked overtime to clear the surface of water.

They did an extremely good job, but I think it was a great deal damper than referee Robert Hicks would have liked. Cas got the game played, but were beaten by a Warrington side who scored this rather splashing try.

Summer rugby eh? (That's a quid fine)