Super League Grand Final odds: How's the betting looking as Leeds Rhinos prepare to meet St Helens?

Rhinos may, like Saints, be eight-time finalists and in the club’s 11th title match of the Super League era, but it will be a major upset if they get their hands on the trophy for the first time since 2017.

The bookies have Saints as 1/ 2 favourites to win their fourth successive title decider, breaking Leeds’ record from 2007-2009, with Rhinos at 21/10.

Those odds reflect the gulf between the teams during the regular season, with league leaders Saints finishing 13 points clear of fifth-placed Rhinos.

Under new boss Rohan Smith, Rhinos have been in fine form over the second half of the 2022 campaign and already pulled off shock wins at fourth-placed Catalans Dragons and Wigan Warriors, who were second, in the play-offs, but the odds-makers expect them to run out of steam as the holders’ big-game experience sees them home.

Saints, who have won their last 11 games against Leeds - in a run stretching back to 2018 - are 19/10 to win by 13 points or more and 13/8 for a victory by up to a 12-point margin. For Rhinos, those odds are 17/2 and 11/4.

Saints scrum-half Jonny Lomax is 9/2 favourite to win the Harry Sunderland Trophy as man of the match, with his captain James Roby at 5/1 and stand-off/full-back Jack Welsby a 6/1 chance.

The first Leeds name on the list is former Warrington and Great Britain stand-off Blake Austin at 7/1.

Rhinos’ likely full-back Richie Myler, who was man of the match when they beat Salford Red Devils to win the Challenge Cup two years ago, is next at 9/1.

That’s the same price as Saints’ loose-forward Morgan Knowles who was cleared to play at Old Trafford on Wednesday after winning a second appeal against a two-match ban which would have kept him out of the showpiece.

Rhinos centre Zak Hardaker and goal-kicking second-row Rhyse Martin - back in contention after a two-game ban - are both 12/1, with centre Liam Sutcliffe 14/1.

Brad Dwyer - who like Sutcliffe will join Hull FC next season - and Kruise Leeming are both 18/1.

James Bentley, the former Saints forward who has been in impressive form for Leeds over the second half of the season, is rated at 25/1.

Betfred have Saints’ Tommy Makinson at 6/1to be first try scorer and evens to touch down at any time in the final.

His fellow winger Mark Percical is 15/2 to grab the first try and 6/4 to score at any time. Not surprisingly, of the 21-man squad named for the Grand Final, their top scorer Ash Handley is the Leeds player with the shortest odds for first try scorer (9/1) and to cross the whitewash at some stage (7/4).

Handley has missed both play-off ties with a foot injury as is rated as “50-50” to play on Saturday.