Steve McNamara and Matt Peet have their say about a clash of the top two

The coaches have their say before the action kicks off in this year’s Super League Grand Final.

Ahead of the big day the two coaches sat down to share their thoughts about the final. It’s fair to say that they were both pretty confident, whilst also acknowledging the huge task at hand when the Super League’s top two face off.

Catalans Dragons boss Steve McNamara was very keen to stress how much work the whole club had put into their success. Since he took charge over six years ago, him and his staff have managed to guide the club from being relegation candidates, to being big hitters challenging year after year for silverware.

However, the modest McNamara believes that Saturday means nothing to him personally, and that they are there for the whole club and country, saying:

“Personally this means nothing, it’s about the group, it’s about the team and everything we’re trying to achieve. The coaches are just part of that team.

“Everyone here understands the work goes in from an incredible number of individuals, so when we get the opportunity to play in a game like this it’s for everybody.”

“This game is about the French, it’s about our French players, they’re the heartbeat of our club. This game is about France, it’s about the French boys, it’s about everything they have committed to be the best they can possibly be, they’re the reason for the clubs transition.”

Catalans won the Challenge Cup just after McNamara took over, and have also won the league leaders shield. Two years ago they lost at this very stage after becoming the first foreign side to ever reach the final. McNamara went onto the say:

“We had a pretty good team a couple of years ago, but what we learnt then was that being pretty good in a Grand final isn’t enough, to win it you have to be outstanding, you have to be at the top of your game.

“We’ve learnt so much and we’ll see how good we are on Saturday. It’s one vs two, the right Grand Final. So here we go again, let’s go.”

Wigan have been a dry spell in terms of Super League titles since Catalan man Sam Tomkins left the club in 2018. However, the giants of rugby league are more determined than ever to bring the trophy back to Wigan under a local coach.

Matt Peet is coming to the close of his second year in charge. He has already brought the town a Challenge Cup trophy and a league leaders shield, and is now aiming to take the next step with his hometown club. He said:

“Winning the Challenge Cup was good but winning this trophy would be another step in the right direction. It shows more consistency which is what every club and coach is looking for.

“I’ll be really proud walking out, I’m proud of the lads, the team and the club. So for me to get the privilege of walking out besides Faz (Liam Farrell) will be quite humbling actually.”

The league winners have a young squad for the occasion and their future looks bright regardless of Saturday’s outcome. Nevertheless Peet believes that they are ready for the challenge and are in a good place, saying:

“We’ve got lads that haven’t played on the big occasion but that’s been a constant all year, and it can be a strength as well, that energy and freshness. All the best teams have balance.

“The task is to keep doing the things we’ve been doing well under extreme pressure. You can look back far to see the traits of winning organisations, there’s a lot of knowledge and experience there for me and the players to try and tap into.

“Ultimately come kick off time we’re up against a fantastic team and it will be a great game.”

With just over 24 hours to go until kick off, the nerves are surely settling in for both camps no matter how cool and collected Peet and McNamara are under pressure.

 

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