Super League Grand Final: Leeds Rhinos boss Rohan Smith 'not shocked' by Morgan Knowles decision
- Published
St Helens and Leeds Rhinos are the only two teams to have won three Super League Grand Finals in a row
Betfred Super League Grand Final: St Helens v Leeds Rhinos |
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Venue: Old Trafford Date: Saturday, 24 September Kick-off: 18:00 BST |
Coverage: Commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio Merseyside, BBC Radio Leeds & BBC Sounds, live text commentary on BBC Sport website & app; highlights at 22:50 BST on BBC One |
Leeds Rhinos boss Rohan Smith says he "wasn't shocked" St Helens back-rower Morgan Knowles won a second appeal over a two-match suspension, meaning he can play in the Super League Grand Final.
Knowles lost his initial appeal for the ban over "dangerous contact" in an incident with Salford' Chris Atkin.
Saints submitted a second appeal on Wednesday and saw the ban overturned.
"There's been a lot of twists and turns with the match review and judiciary process," Smith told BBC Radio Leeds.
"I wasn't shocked. We were planning on if he was playing.
"It's up to each individual to form an opinion on it, but the opinion of people on Tuesday was different to the opinion of people on Wednesday. That in itself creates a bit of confusion for fans, but it is what it is."
St Helens take on Leeds on Saturday aiming to win four Super League Grand Finals in a row, a feat never achieved before.
It will be Kristian Woolf's final game in charge of Saints before he leaves the club.
However, Leeds boss Smith will be looking to win a first league title with the club having transformed their form in the five months since his appointment.
Leeds' impressive turnaround under Smith
Rohan Smith has led Leeds to 11 wins from their past 13 matches leading up to Saturday's Super League Grand Final
Leeds started the season poorly, with former boss Richard Agar stepping down from his role in March after the club won just once in their opening six games.
Jamie Jones-Buchanan took over on an interim basis prior to Smith's appointment in April and since then Leeds have put together an impressive run of form.
Coming into the Grand Final, they have won 11 of their past 13 matches, including play-off wins at both Catalans Dragons and Wigan, to reach the Grand Final for the third time, having finished fifth in the league.
"We were 11th in the table and we were watching Toulouse's scores. That's the honest truth. People were murmuring saying 'what's going on here?'," Leeds captain Kruise Leeming told BBC Radio Leeds.
"I feel like it was just a team very low on confidence. When Jonesy [Jones-Buchanan] took over, we got confidence from hard work. Then when Rohan came in he sprinkled some systems and knowledge in there.
"He kept us neutral and it was always about next week, we never rested on our laurels. We gained this momentum. Whether we'd played good or bad, it was gone."
As Leeds target a ninth Super League Grand Final win, Smith has a number of options on which side to pick for Saturday's trip to Old Trafford.
"It's difficult every week to settle on a team. We have such versatility in our group that sometimes it's about finding the horse for the course on the day," Smith added.
"We're still working through that and we've practised in a few different ways. We've got versatility and belief no matter which way we settle. We've got a lot of different combinations so it's no problem."
Will Saints make history with fourth successive win?
James Roby broke Kevin Sinfield's Super League appearance record earlier this season
Justin Holbrook led St Helens to their first of a succession of Grand Final victories when they beat underdogs Salford Red Devils back in 2019.
That was his final game in charge of the club before departing for the NRL, with Woolf taking over from the beginning of the coronavirus-interrupted 2020 season.
The result of that campaign saw Jack Welsby score with the final play of the ball as they defeated Wigan at an empty KCOM Stadium to seal a second title in a row, with the so-called 'three-peat' achieved by beating Catalans in last season's final.
No team has ever won four in a row, but that fact is not affecting Saints' preparations, according to captain James Roby.
"We're aware it's never been done before. It's at the back of our minds but at the same time we've got to go out and perform as best as we can," he told BBC Radio Merseyside.
"There's that added motivation that we're not just winning a normal Grand Final, it would be a fourth, which has never been done.
"Potentially you could then get regarded as one of the best teams of all time, so it's there and it's a massive motivating factor.
"We've got to keep that balance. We can get excited about it but we've got to do the job in the first place."
Woolf wants to 'finish on a high'
Kristian Woolf will join newly-formed NRL side the Dolphins as their assistant coach next season
During his time with St Helens, Woolf picked up where Holbrook left off and continued their spell of dominance in the northern hemisphere.
As well as his two Grand Final wins with the club, he also led them to the 2021 Challenge Cup, ensuring a first Wembley triumph since 2008.
But before he departs, can he further bolster his legacy and lead Saints to a historic title?
Speaking to BBC Radio Merseyside, Woolf said: "It's not about me at all, it's about this group of men. They've been working really hard for this opportunity, not just for 12 months but a number of years to put themselves in this situation and give themselves this opportunity.
"I'm just lucky to be part of a small group that want to work hard, want to compete, want success and are willing to put themselves in a position to do that.
"We all want to finish on a high here and be really happy with what we come up with. It's not about me or how I finish at this club, it's about this group and what they're able to achieve.
"They're very deserving of this opportunity because of how hard they work and how hard they compete, and that's what makes them such a special group."
Team news
St Helens have named Will Hopoate, Josh Simm and Dan Norman in their 21-man squad for Saturday's Grand Final.
Hopoate has not featured since their win over Hull KR in August because of a hamstring injury, while Simm returns from an injury picked up in their derby against Wigan. Norman is back from a broken cheekbone suffered against Toulouse.
Leeds welcome back England winger Ash Handley and Rhyse Martin for the trip to Old Trafford, but will be without half-back Aidan Sezer after he failed a head injury assessment in their play-off semi-final at Wigan.
Handley missed their past two games with a foot injury while Martin has now served a two-game suspension following a high tackle against Castleford.
St Helens (from): Welsby, Makinson, Hopoate, Percival, Lomax, Roby, Lees, Mata'utia, Batchelor, Knowles, Lussick, McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Sironen, Paasi, Wingfield, Bell, Simm, Davies, Hurrell, Norman, Bennison.
Leeds (from): Sutcliffe, Handley, Austin, Oledzki, Leeming, Prior, Bentley, Martin, Tetevano, Dwyer, Myler, Smith, Thompson, Briscoe, Walters, O'Connor, Donaldson, Mustapha, Tindall, Sinfield, Hardaker.
Referee: Liam Moore.