The Warrington Wolves are 80 minutes away from ending a 71-year wait for a championship title. Under the leadership of Sam Burgess, the team plays the Super League Grand Final against Wakefield Trinity on Saturday, 3 October, at 18:00 British Summer Time, at Old Trafford in Manchester.
Burgess took charge of Warrington ahead of the 2024 season, having previously been an assistant coach at the South Sydney Rabbitohs. He ended his playing career five years before taking up the coaching role at the club. His predecessor, Daryl Powell, led the team during a period that proved to be uncompetitive.
Shortly after Burgess became head coach, Warrington reached the Challenge Cup final, but were defeated there by the Wigan Warriors. Twelve months later, Hull KR won the Challenge Cup final. In the 2025 season, Burgess's side missed out on a playoff spot, finishing in eighth place.
In 2026, Warrington finished the regular season in third place. Leeds were second, ahead of Warrington thanks to a superior points difference, meaning the Wolves narrowly missed out on second place. In the playoffs, they defeated the reigning champions Hull KR and Leeds to secure a place in the final.
Burgess stated that belief in their own team and the knowledge that Warrington had a long-term plan kept his coaching staff motivated throughout 2025. Last October, former England head coach Steve McNamara joined the club as an assistant coach; he had previously managed Catalans, winning the Challenge Cup and two Super League finals with them. McNamara is expected to move to Hull FC next season.
This is Burgess's first final since taking charge of the club, and Warrington's fifth time reaching Old Trafford. Previous finals were played in 2012, 2013, 2016 and 2018. Tony Smith's side first lost to Leeds, and then to Wigan in 2013 and 2016, while Steve Price last led the club to a final in 2018, when Warrington were again defeated by Wigan, for the third time in a row. The dominant era of St Helens began the following year, with Wigan and Hull KR then having alternating periods of supremacy.
The Super League era lasted 14 years before Warrington even reached their first Grand Final. On the other hand, Daryl Powell, who left Warrington, spurred the rise of Wakefield from the Championship to the top of the sport. Wakefield will attempt to stop Warrington's hunt for a title that has been awaited for more than seven decades at Old Trafford on Saturday.
