Kenneth Jarvis, Warrington Wolves Blogger

“It’s always you year” is a chant sung at us ironically from opposition fans, suggesting that it has never been our year in the Super League. Of course, they are referring to the fact that he have yet to win a Grand Final in the modern game, which is seen at the biggest prize in Rugby League.

Warrington of course had fine years in 2009, 2010 and 2012 when they won the Challenge Cup to bring in a new era of success at the club. Those three trophies weren’t the hardest to win however, and if Warrington won the Grand Final in one of the two losses in 2012 and 2013 then they wouldn’t have been the greatest achievements either. Warrington’s biggest success since we became a force in the late 2000’s was the League Leader’s Shield in 2011. It was a hard fought win over 27 games, where we just edged out Wigan by a point. In that season however, the highest accolades went to Wigan who won the Challenge Cup and Leeds who won the Grand Final. It’s a quirk of Rugby League that the winners of the league are deemed as the third most important trophy of the season.

If Warrington beat Wigan on Friday and lift the shield, then it would have been a magnificent achievement. However, in the eyes of the sport it would all count for pretty much nothing if Warrington were to slip-up in an 80 minute match in the playoff semi-finals that would follow. The only time that winning the league is given any sort of reverence is when it forms part of a treble as it did with Leeds last year, and still could with Hull FC this season.

Although I view winning the league over 30 games as a greater achievement, of course I’d still prefer for Warrington to win the Grand Final because of how it’s perceived. League winners don’t get the credit they deserve and that is reflected in the attendances towards the end of the season, it seems unlikely that it will be a sell out at home on Friday which is ludicrous considering what’s on the line. If Warrington play Wigan in the semi-finals at home just two weeks later, then it probably will be, which doesn’t make much sense, but it’s the way the format works. Warrington will play in front of around 10,000 people to win a competition over 30 games, but would play in front of around 70,000 at Old Trafford if they win just one game off the back of it.

It’s something that’s unlikely to change and all I can hope for this that Warrington win both! I was immensely proud of the team in 2011, more so than the Challenge Cup wins, and I’ll be a proud Warringtonian once again if we win the league against Wigan. There is every possibility that Warrington could lose their last two matches, not win the shield and win the Grand Final. If that happens then my opinion won’t change, and would still view a league win as a harder task. I am desperate to win the Grand Final however, as that seems the only way that it’ll ever be “our year”, regardless of what happens vs Wigan.