Quote: magic piano "Sally, do you think Old Trafford may seem less of an event because (a) it is 100 years or so younger than the Challenge Cup Final & (b) it is a lot closer so can be treated as a normal away game rather than a full day trip out?'"
I don't think it's the age, I think it's partly to do with it being closer but also partly because the Grand Final here doesn't seem to be given the same treatment that the NRL Grand Final is....I do think we could build it up a bit better. Obviously I've never seen Warrington in it but I've been to loads of Grand Finals as a neutral and the occasion all seems a bit rushed compared to the Challenge Cup final. I think the fans get slightly short changed.
However I'm not sure what else they could do, if they brought the kick off earlier and made a bit of extra razzmatazz it would just be like copying the Challenge Cup final, so maybe its best being as it is now, the Challenge Cup final is the game's flagship event, and the Super League Grand Final is the ultimate prize at the end of the season.
The funny thing is, if someone said to me now, would you swap winning the Challenge Cup in 2011 and 2012, or nothing in 2011 and the Super League Grand Final in 2012, I'm not sure which I would take, because the Challenge Cup wins have been so good I would like more of it, and doing 4 in a row is starting to get into history territory. The other bizarre fear in my mind is if we win a Grand Final soon, I might lose some of my enthusiasm for RL, because that will mean we've done everything, it would be nice to be a top side, winning Challenge Cups, and always having the Grand Final as the one that's eluded us, a bit like the Champions League was for United fans before 1999.....as long as we eventually do win it!