Despite my proximity to Leigh Leopards, and my birth in Firs Maternity Home, also in Leigh, my rugby allegiance is with Wigan Warriors. If Leigh got to the final, I would have still gone. My team selection is thanks mostly to my Grandad taking me to Central Park to cheer along Wigan many, many years ago. Yesterday we went along to the Super League Grand Final.
In Super League, if you finish at the top of the table you get the League Leaders' Shield. Then the top six teams go into the play-offs to see who gets to the Grand Final at Old Trafford. The winners of the Grand Final are crowned the Super League champions.
Wigan finished in second place in the table, with Leigh in third. First and second, Hull KR and Wigan, skipped the first eliminator round and progressed directly to the semi-finals.
Eliminator 1
Leigh Leopards 26 v Wakefield Trinity 10 — Leigh progressed to Semi Final 1.
Eliminator 2
Leeds Rhinos 14 v St Helens 16 — St Helens progressed to Semi Final 2.
Semi Final 1
Wigan Warriors 18 v Leigh Leopards 6 — Wigan progressed to the Grand Final.
Semi Final 2
Hull KR 20 v St Helens 12 — Hull KR progressed to the Grand Final.
Grand Final
Hull KR 24 v Wigan Warriors 6 — Hull KR were crowned 2025 Super League champions.
That's the end of the tale, so let's go back to the start.
Getting to and parking at Old Trafford is a bit of a faff, and trains are unreliable. So I booked us a couple of seats on a supporters coach. We left my car in my friend Carl's street and took the short walk to the stadium. We were on coach 19 and left the stadium just after 3pm. We got to Old Trafford and were parked up by about 4pm.
The coach was bad. Less hassle than driving and probably more fun, but a crummy coach: 2 + 3 layout, designed for school kids rather than fifty-odd Wigan fans.
Perfect Grand Final weather: cool, dry autumn day, with clear skies. We went to our rough entry point and soaked up the atmosphere.
There is no fan segregation, everyone mingles together and enjoys the day. We had a bite to eat outside before heading inside. My friend Paul won some tickets and could not make it, so offered them to the group WhatsApp chat, Big Fannies Tea Room, and I was the first to shout "I'll take them".
At the stadium, the ends are team specific, but the rest of the stadium is mixed. We were sat with a bunch of Wigan, Hull, Leeds, Wakefield and Leigh fans.
We were up in the gods. I got my full weekly flights-of-stairs target done getting up there. It's always impressive stepping into the stadium from the concourse areas: from grey concrete operational areas to a sea of red seats and a beautifully manicured green pitch.
We were up at the back of the North East stand. I framed this shot to look like we had the place to ourselves.
The view of the pitch was spot on, if a bit far away. We had a speaker right above us, so we heard the substitutions. We also had our own little scoreboard, but we could not see the big screens, so we were on the edges of our seats at the couple of video ref calls.
The pre-show was good: Pigeon Detectives, some folks with flags, fireworks, fire balls and 68,853 rugby fans cheering away. It was the first time Fin had been to a final. I'd explained that you don't go to a match like this just to watch the rugby; it's all about the atmosphere. We both had a great time.
The match wasn't great. We got played off the park. I've not watched the replay yet, but it felt like we were well beaten by a better side. Congratulations Hull KR.
The journey home was just as uncomfortable, but better than driving, as the journey there. It took about an hour from getting on the coach to getting off. Lots of post-match coach analysis and a few laughs. Then it was the same short walk back to the car and 20 minutes back home. Another great Grand Final. Shame we got beat, but still a great day.
