Grand Final retrospective | Kris Radlinski

Saturday 24 October 1998 - the inaugural Super League Grand Final. Two years after the inception of Super League and a seismic shift from a winter to summer sport and part-time to full-time players, the competition held its first showpiece final at Old Trafford to determine the Champions of 1998.

This year we celebrate 25 years of Grand Finals and look back on memorable moments from those gone by, speaking to players who have experienced the highs and lows of Super League’s flagship event.

Kris Radlinski was part of the Wigan Warriors side that played and won in the first ever Grand Final. A decorated player, Radlinski won several major honours as a one-club man for Wigan, but the 1998 Grand Final win against Leeds Rhinos was his first and last.

Reflecting on that memorable evening at the Theatre of Dreams, Radlinski was part of a formidable squad that boasted household names such as Jason Robinson and Andrew Farrell.

And on a rainy Saturday Night playing in conditions now synonymous with the Grand Final in a contest that required dogged effort and grit to grind out a result, those towering figures drove Wigan to victory.

“It was a very tight game, pouring down with rain,?? Radlinski explained.

“And it was just a piece of brilliance from Jason [Robinson] that won it. It just felt like a big night for the sport.

“Jason scored that try but Andrew [Farrell] led the team on that day. He kicked a number of important goals and probably throughout most of my career was a talisman and leader who helped us all do our jobs. He was a pretty unique guy.??

It’s a long way to the finish line to win a Grand Final - the journey to Old Trafford is a long, arduous road. Nothing is guaranteed and everything must be earned.

Wigan fans were left to wait 12 years before seeing their team win another Grand Final after 1998. Radlinski lost two Grand Finals in consecutive years in the early 2000’s with the Warriors and appreciates the sacrifices taken throughout a season to reach, and be victorious at, the Theatre of Dreams.

“I know the detail and work that goes into a rugby league season. It’s a great journey with many highs and many lows and to some degree, it’s the strongest and fittest team at the end of the year who come away successful. But you do need a bit of luck, no doubt.

“Every single player that plays in that Grand Final at the end of the year – even nowadays – will be nowhere near 100 percent fit. Something will be strapped up, there’ll be an injection, you’ll be carrying a knock – it’s an absolute battle to get to that finish line. And the ones that do, are deserved winners.

“I would never ever take for granted that just because I pulled on a Wigan jersey you’ve got a right to be in that game or a right to win it. I can’t express enough that it’s a physical journey a rugby league season but it’s also a mental journey that starts in December and goes all the way to October, where you’re literally getting smashed, getting flogged and getting put to your absolute limit for 10 months. And not everybody can do that.  Not everyone can understand or work in that environment where the physical and mental pressure and demands are so intense.??

The Super League Grand Final has become a huge event both on and off the field. It offers more than just 80 minutes of action but, ultimately, it is the contest on the field that holds the most significance.

It's the end goal for every player that laces up their boots and takes the field in Super League – and it is an occasion worthy of a grand spectacle.

Now an Executive Director at Wigan, Radlinski recognises not just the importance of the contest itself, but the commercial benefits an event like the Grand Final affords the Super League competition.

“It felt like a real momentum change for the sport. And even now when I reflect and when I go to Grand Final’s – whether we’re playing in them or not – I always enjoy the occasion. Everybody who goes – whether it’s supporting a team or just visiting – understands and appreciates it’s a huge occasion.

“Over the years its developed into more of a showcase, more of an event. A bit more NFL as opposed to where we started all those years ago. As a rugby league event, I think the sport has done a really good job in creating hype around it and the more events we can create like that, the better.

“I think I’ve always appreciated the possibilities and the enormity of the occasion. Even when I played, I knew it was a direction the sport had to go in. Now, when I understand the commercials and I understand the business of the sport, it allows me to appreciate it even more.

“I enjoy getting to the Grand Final nice and early and watching everything unfold. It’s become an enormous event that I think we should all be really proud of being in rugby league. We’ve created that ourselves and other sports now look at that occasion and look at how we run an event and how we market an event and see that that’s what they need to do.??

Super League celebrates its 25th Grand Final in 2022 and you can be there to experience it. Bring the noise at the Theatre of Dreams and attend the Betfred Super League Grand Final by purchasing your tickets here.