I'm not typing that out again so it goes here for future reference:

14 clubs have appeared in the 72 Play Off matches.

There have been a total of 33 coaches involved so far.

Most GF Wins: Brian Noble 3
Most GF Loses: Daniel Anderson 2, Brian Noble 2
Most Play Off Matches: Brian Noble 20
Most Play Off Wins: Brian Noble 16
Most Play Off Loses: Shaun McRae 5, Stuart Raper 5

Best Play Off Win Percentage: John Monie, Kevin Walters 100%

Worst Play Off Win Percentage: Nathan Brown, Andy Goodway, Karl Harrison, James Lowes, Terry Matterson, Justin Morgan, John Pendlebury, Tony Rea, Jon Sharp, Graham Steadman - All 0%

Trivia: Daniel Anderson (8 matches) never coached in a Play Off game that wasn't played at either Knowsley Road or Old Trafford

Well John's record looks to be safe but I think Kevin should be worried!

Thats surprising given the fact that only Bradford have won it form 3rd, and no team has won it more than 2 years on the trot.

What is the results sequence?

03-Oct-99 ….. SL 4 - FE ….. St Helens 36 ….. Castleford 6
09-Oct-99 ….. SL 4 - GF ….. Bradford 6 ….. St Helens 8
22-Sep-00 ….. SL 5 - QPO ….. St Helens 16 ….. Bradford 11
29-Sep-00 ….. SL 5 - QSF ….. Wigan 16 ….. St Helens 54
14-Oct-00 ….. SL 5 - GF ….. St Helens 29 ….. Wigan 16
22-Sep-01 ….. SL 6 - EPO ….. St Helens 38 ….. Leeds 30
28-Sep-01 ….. SL 6 - ESF ….. Hull 20 ….. St Helens 24

The run included their back to back titles after finishing second in the table that we don't seem to hear much about these days.

I figured that it would be around their 99&01 wins, but had forgotten how the play-offs worked back then

Kevin Sinfield needs four two point goals to become (I presume) only the second player in Leeds' history to register 1,000 place kicked goals.

The first was B L (Lewis) Jones who amassed 1,244 goals, although that figure will include an unknown number of drop goals but as they were also worth two points in his era they were not seperated out as they are today.

Sinfield already has 1,016 goals to his credit but that figure includes twenty drop goals also.

SL Grand Final Stats: (Not Including 2009)

Teams

Most Appearances: 6 - Bradford, St Helens
Most Wins: 4 - St Helens
Most Defeats: 3 - Bradford, Wigan

Most Consecutive Appearances: 5 - Bradford
Most Consecutive Wins: 2 - Leeds, St Helens
Most Consecutive Defeats: 2 - St Helens, Wigan

Coaches

Most Appearances: 5 - Brian Noble
Most Wins: 3 - Brian Noble
Most Defeats: 2 - Daniel Anderson, Brian Noble

Most Consecutive Appearances: 5 - Brian Noble
Most Consecutive Wins: 1 - (No coach has successfully defended the title)
Most Consecutive Defeats: 2 - Daniel Anderson

Players

Most Appearances: 8 - Leon Pryce
Most Starting Appearances: 7 - Jamie Peacock
Most Substitute Appearances: 4 - Paul Anderson

Most Wins: 5 - Jamie Peacock
Most Defeats: 4 - Lee Gilmour, Terry Newton, Leon Pryce

Most Tries: 4 - Danny McGuire, Michael Withers
Most Goals: 15 - Kevin Sinfield
Most Drop Goals: 1 - Rob Burrow, Paul Deacon, Iestyn Harris, Sean Long, Henry Paul, Paul Sculthorpe
Most Points: 30 - Kevin Sinfield

Danny McGuire is the only player to score tries in three different Grand Finals.

Edit: Thanks to Leicester's eagle eye. Despite Sinfield losing the point he's still the GF's top scorer on 30, with Sean Long languishing behind on 29.

It was burrow that dropped the goal in 2007 I think

It was wasn't it.



That'll teach me using[url=http://www.rugby-league-world.com/2007/SuperLeague/PO6.htmlthese fella's[/url Leeds GF records rather than my own. Sinfield has kicked five Play Off Drop Goals but never any in the Grand Final.

I'll have to trust their other GF details are on the money as I only worry about the Leeds GFs usually.


The interesting stat to come out of yesterday's exercise was that no coach has successfully defended the title.

No pressure on Brian McClennan then.

Looking at John Holmes' Leeds career totals.

I'm not certain at this point but I suspect there could be an error (or up to three) in his total stats as recorded on page 27 of the Leeds V Les Catalans match day programme from the 2nd October 2009.

In a way I hope (and have to expect that) I'm wrong.

I'd never have guessed that.

Also interesting to see that Terry Newton's crown for most GF defeats is under threat this year!

As I posted on another thread a couple of days ago, if Mclennan creates history then how can you justify Nathan Brown being named coach of the year, what with his tremendous showing in the playoffs and cup final?

He created history last year by being the 1st coach to win the WCC and GF in the same season but was still over-looked.

We're always overlooked. Players and coaches.

I hope Bluey uses it to help create a siege mentality.

I'd argue that taking the current champions and getting them to the grand final is no massive achievement.

Taking a mid-low team, and making them contenders is more of an achievement, same as Potter with Catalans last year.

Its the MOS I think is a joke

Isn't it? Winning back to back championships and even a 3rd consecutive championship is the most massive achievement of them all as nobody has managed it before.

I don't think Huddersfield have ever really been contenders. They've never looked like beating us and bombed massively in the playoffs. Has brown improved Huddersfield more than Kear did Wakefield, Morgan did Hull KR, matterson did Cas (bottom to playoffs) or even Tony Smith did Warrington?

I think these awards are decided way too early. We're told the playoffs are what matters but they make their minds up before they even start. Do you really think Brown would've got his award (or Hodgson even) if they'd been voted after the Giants "performances" in the playoffs?

Huddersfield under Brown have risen from being in the middle of a pretty mediocre pack chasing after Leeds and Saints to the top of that same mediocre pack chasing after Leeds and Saints.

Hardly a ground breaking achievement and as G1 has pointed out they tanked massively in their three biggest games of the season. Not what you would expect from a team led by supposedly the coach of the year.

Still, when you look at the St George teams Brown played and coached in a record of underachievement when the chips are down should be expected.

Surely it's harder,afterall our opponents would'nt be more pumped up for any other game!
Last year he also had the pressure of following tony smith who'd broken a 32yr championship hoodoo and was rightly lauded for his achievements.
I'd say it's alot harder to start a season as champions than it is to start at a middle of the road club and whilst i think brown,morgan and matterson have done great jobs at their respective clubs surely carrying on success should be recognised also!

Ask those who decide that particular award, isn't it the SL 1st Grade coaches who nominate in that category?

We could do with a MOS expert on here.



Perhaps the MOS awards should be held the Tuesday after the GF rather than the Tuesday before in that case. Wasn't the coaching award one year delayed and given to the GF winning coach?

On a side note I'm not sure if all the players invited to attend would be in a fit state to do so, I'm thinking in terms of Flintoff at Downing Street here.



Me neither. It was one of those happy accidents when studying the GF history and leaves McClennan with an opportunity to achieve something unique in Super League for the second successive season.

The event might've been held this week but I am told the voting (for MOS anyway) took place around about round 26 of the season.

If Leeds win Saturday does that put JP on 5 or 6 winners?

Mentioned towards the bottom of the previous page but if the hypothetical came to pass he would be on six.



I'm gradually coming round to your idea that the MOS should be awarded the following season just like it was in David Ward's day.

MOS should be awarded after the GF, when the season has finished and can be looked at as a whole, especially as the play-offs are the true test of a player and a team

If only to stop the winner embarrassing himself with non-performaces when it really matters.

Or of course not even getting anywhere near a GF!