10 Reasons Why the Grand Final Will Be a Classic
1. The Coaches: There has never been a Grand Final with a more experienced coaching match-up.Wayne Bennett and Brian Smith are second and third respectively on the most first-grade games coached list, with the duo totalling 1,158 games and 675 wins between them.
Bennett has coached in seven Grand Finals, winning all six with Brisbane and losing in 1987 with the Canberra Raiders, while Smith is still chasing his first premiership in his 23rd season coaching in Australia. Smith has lost three deciders, including the 1992 and 1993 big ones when his St George Dragons lost to Bennett’s Brisbane Broncos.
These two have had a long-standing rivalry and they will ensure both teams are prepared to the minute and at their best for the Grand Final.