Grand Final 2022 stats breakdown

History. St Helens once again reined supreme in the Grand Final to become the first team in Super League history to win four titles in a row.

They faced a Leeds Rhinos side that defied the odds to get to Old Trafford. From relegation threatened to title contenders, the Rhinos revival under Rohan Smith has been nothing short of sensational.

And despite missing out on Grand Final glory, the Rhinos left it all on the field during a spirited 80 minute display.

Rhyse Martin made a welcome return for the Rhinos on Saturday Night. After missing the previous two Play-Off outings through suspension, Martin made up for lost time with ball in hand - he ran for more metres (181) and made more post contact metres (101) than any other player.

He also crossed for what proved to be a consolation try and kicked two goals to break a new record for most consecutive successful goal kicks.

Record breaker ?

37 consecutive goal kicks in a row for Rhyse Martin ?#SuperLeague #GF25 pic.twitter.com/zhzypcWbHv
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) September 24, 2022

Martin's back row partner James Bentley topped the tackle count with a huge 55 tackle effort against his former club. It marks a tremendous turnaround for Bentley after disciplinary issues plagued the start of his 2022 campaign.

A deserved Harry Sunderland trophy winner, Jonny Lomax was inspirational for the Champions. Battered and bruised, he put his body on the line to secure an historic Grand Final win at Old Trafford - Lomax carried the ball more than any other player, ran for 154 metres, set up a try, made 5 tackle busts, as well as kicking the ball more than any other player.

Lomax's performance is even more admirable given he has been playing with a bicep injury for several months leading up to the big dance.

Jonny Lomax ruptured his bicep in May ?

He's played on throughout 2022 for @Saints1890 & delivered on the biggest stage at #GF25 ?

A deserved Harry Sunderland Trophy winner ?#SuperLeague #GrandFinal pic.twitter.com/ULz8Y0eGyq
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) September 25, 2022

The void left by the injured Alex Walmsley in St Helens' front row was filled effortlessly by their starting props. Agnatius Paasi was a wrecking ball through the middle during a destructive 38 minute period - he ran for 159 metres from 17 carries, as well as making 90 post contact metres.

His front row partner Matty Lees contributed with the opening try of the Super League Grand Final and played a huge 66 minutes through the middle. 

Overall, Saints dominated possession and strangled the Rhinos of opportunities to score points. Kristian Woolf's side had 53% of possession and spent over 15 minutes in the Rhinos half compared to Leeds's 11 minutes in the Saints half.

St Helens eventually turned the screw in the second half, scoring two unanswered tries and leaving Leeds with too much to do late on. That's reflected in their sheer dominance in second half possession, completion and territory.

The game that made history ????

Watch all the highlights from the Saints #GF25 victory over the Rhinos ? pic.twitter.com/k2WeEZPLB1
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) September 25, 2022

Saints had 55% of possession, 59% of territory, as well as completing 100% of their sets in the second 40. It was a second half clinic from the Saints who have become accustomed to closing out big games. Conversely, the Rhinos managed to complete just 85% of their sets in the second stanza.

Despite Saints territorial and possession dominance, Leeds did have their chances. The Rhinos made 5 line breaks compared to St Helens 2 line breaks, whilst also kicking a 40/20 thanks to Blake Austin?s first half effort.

Leeds also took more carries than St Helens but failed to make the same sort of inroads in the process. The Rhinos carried for a total of 1312 metres across the 80 minutes compared to Saints 1444 metres.

The likes of the aforementioned Agnatius Paasi and Jonny Lomax lead the Saints charge, along with Tommy Makinson (169), Curtis Sironen (119), Jack Welsby (107) and Jon Bennison (104) all running for over 100 metres.

Ultimately, it was St Helens who came out on top to achieve Super League immortality. Both Saints and the Rhinos put on a show to produce a spectacle worthy of 25 years of Super League Grand Finals.