St Helens v Salford: Betfred Super League Grand Final preview, tip, TV details

Super League Grand Final tips, best bets and predictions for St Helens v Salford.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Arena, 6pm Saturday

Best bet

St Helens to score 23 points or more
5pts 5-6 bet365

Match preview

Three years ago, Salford were just seconds away from being relegated from the Betfred Super League. Now the Red Devils are only 80 minutes from becoming the most unlikely champions in the competition’s history.

When Salford celebrated survival after their miracle win in the 2016 Million Pound Game few could have envisaged coach Ian Watson would be leading his team out at Old Trafford just three years later.

The Red Devils began the 2019 campaign as 150-1 no-hopers. Now they are 7-2 to claim their first title since 1976.

One of the five survivors of the crucial 2016 match, Mark Flanagan described the underdogs as a “motley crew of misfits” this week but with Man of Steel Jackson Hastings pulling the strings, Salford have been outstanding in recent weeks.

The Red Devils have won ten of their last 11 matches, finishing third on the league ladder and winning their last two playoff games against Wigan and Castleford by an aggregate scoreline of 50-4.

The problem for those who believe in sporting fairy tales is that the current St Helens crop are one of the finest sides of the summer era. They finished a record-breaking 16 points clear of the Super League field with every other team bar Wigan ending up nearer to the foot of the table than the top.

Coach Justin Holbrook takes charge of Saints for the final time before departing for the NRL and the Gold Coast Titans and the Australian will head home with an outstanding record at the club.

In the past two seasons, St Helens have won 53 of their 61 league and playoff games but the doubters can point to a lack of silverware underlined by the lacklustre display in defeat to Warrington in August’s Coral Challenge Cup final.

In that loss, as in this year’s other three defeats, Saints conceded the first points and the chances of an upset will be significantly enhanced if Salford can edge ahead early on.

Much more likely is a high-octane start from the favourites similar to their display against Wigan a fortnight ago when they were 12-0 up in as many minutes.

Saints routed their great rivals 40-10 and bookmakers may have underestimated the scoring capabilities of the table-toppers.

The popular perception is that Grand Finals are low-scoring but that may not be the case this time with a reasonable weather forecast.

Bet365 have set their Saints points line at 22.5 - a mark St Helens have exceeded in 23 of their 30 league and playoff games in 2019 including both meetings with Salford.

February’s clash at the AJ Bell Stadium produced a regulation 26-4 Saints success but the return fixture three months later was an extraordinary affair.

St Helens romped into a 16-0 lead at more than a point a minute only for Salford to fight back furiously and lead 30-16. Tries from Lachlan Coote and Tommy Makinson set up a nail-biting finale and James Bentley’s contentious try 30 seconds from time won it for Saints.

That game will give Salford hope of at least staying within the dozen-point handicap but the reality is that they are reliant on Saints underperforming in a big game again.

St Helens have too many top-class players to keep misfiring and on the grandest stage of all they should get their just rewards for an outstanding season.

They go off as the hottest Grand Final favourites since 2006 when Daniel Anderson’s superb Saints side crushed Hull 26-4.

That team is widely regarded as the greatest of the summer era and while the class of 2019 may not be quite of that vintage, they should still be celebrating Saints' sixth success at the Theatre of Dreams.