The Wigan and St Helens veterans bow out after Friday’s final, with Graham saying: ‘Your body tells you when it’s time’
Almost everything about Friday’s Super League Grand Final will feel different. The buzz of 70,000 fans at a near-capacity Old Trafford has been replaced with the slightly eerier atmosphere of a behind-closed-doors event at Hull’s KCom Stadium, but one overarching theme that has dominated recent finals will at least provide a sense of familiarity.
Grand Finals of late have been notable for some of the game’s most iconic names ending their careers with victory on the biggest stage. In 2015, the Leeds trio of Kevin Sinfield, Jamie Peacock and Kylie Leuluai won the Grand Final before retiring. Two years later, it was Rob Burrow who did the same, helping Leeds to victory against Castleford. And on Friday, one more great of the modern era will bow out with a winners’ ring: but equally, one will suffer the pain of defeat.