It's a battle of the Betfred Championship's top two as Featherstone Rovers take on Leigh Centurions in the 2022 AB Sundecks 1895 Cup Final.
Featherstone are the holders after a dramatic 41-34 win over York at Wembley last year, while this is the first time Leigh have featured in the final of the competition.
Rovers' journey to this stage saw them beat Halifax and Batley in the Challenge Cup, before they fell at the hands of Catalans Dragons 27-14 away from home in Round 6.
They were then drawn at Barrow Raiders in the semi-finals and turned on the style to win 46-6 away from home and secure their spot in the final.
Brian McDermott has named a full-strength 21-man squad as he looks to retain the club's title. The only major absentee sees Connor Jones miss out through suspension.
Their latest arrival Johnathon Ford has done enough to make the squad after just one appearance for the club so far - he came off the bench and played at left centre in their 78-0 league win over Whitehaven last week
For Leigh, their Cup journey began with a 38-4 demolition of Widnes in Round 4 of the Challenge Cup, before they edged out Bradford 20-16 away from home. In Round 6, they went to eventual Cup semi-finalists Hull KR and pushed them all the way in a 24-18 defeat.
Then they had to come from behind to claim a 30-12 1895 Cup semi-final win over Sheffield Eagles which saw them progress to their first final. They were a Super League club in 2021 so didn't enter, while it was a gut-wrenchung 12-8 home semi-final defeat at the hands of Widnes back in 2019.
Adrian Lam is also able to name what looks to be his strongest side on paper. In-form halfbacks Ben Reynolds and Joe Mellor are set to partner eachother in the halves, with the likes of Caleb Aekins, John Asiata and Edwin Ipape all set to feature.
Blockbuster signing Blake Ferguson is also included in the 21-man squad. The 32-year-old former Australian international winger scored four tries and recorded an assist on his debut as Leigh won 58-6 at home to Workington last weekend.
Coach's Comments:
Brian McDermott, Featherstone Rovers
"I'm hoping Leigh are at full strength and I'm hoping they play really well. I want to see what it's like playing them when they're really well. Let's hope we hit our straps and Leigh do - what a game that would be!"
Adrian Lam, Leigh Centurions
"It was one of our goals at the start of the season. We've had to work really hard to get that cohesion togehter and we're playing some decent rugby at the moment. Everyone's excited about it."
Watch the full interview here.
Player's Comments:
Jesse Sene-Lefao, Featherstone Rovers
"We're expecting a big game from Leigh. We got the win against them in Round 2 but I think both teams have changed and grown and we're both starting to glue things together. I think it'll be an awesome game to watch."
Watch the full interview here.
Adam Sidlow, Leigh Centurions
"We're confident but we've got a lot to work on. We're not happy, we're scraping through a few results at the minute but hopefully we can rectify that and get the win at Tottenham in the final."
Watch the full interview here.
Squads:
Featherstone Rovers: Brandon Pickersgill, Luke Briscoe, Joey Leilua, Craig Hall, Gareth Gale, Craig Kopczak, James Lockwood, Brett Ferres, Jesse Sene-Lefao, Jack Bussey, Matty Wildie, John Davies, Junior Moors, Ben Hellewell, Aaron Smith, Luke Cooper, Adam Cuthbertson, Ryley Jacks, Mark Kheirallah, Johnathon Ford, Tyla Hepi.
Leigh Centurions: Caleb Aekins, Keanan Brand, Nene Macdonald, Ben Reynolds, Joe Mellor, Adam Sidlow, Aaron Smith, Mark Ioane, Joe Wardle, Sam Stone, Tom Amone, Ata Hingano, Ed Chamberlain, Jacob Jones, John Asiata, Luis Roberts, Edwin Ipape, Krisnan Inu, Kai O’Donnell, Ben Nakubuwai, Blake Ferguson.
