Ablett remains the reluctant middle man

Ablett, who now has five Grand Final winners’ rings to his name with hometown Leeds Rhinos, delivered an exceptional performance at centre on Saturday night.

For the second year running he scored, from centre, in the Super League showpiece at Old Trafford and looked every inch an international player.

It was the third Grand Final in which he started as a centre while England coach Steve McNamara gave him his debut in that position this summer and he has played the majority of this season there too.

Yet, as McDermott explains: “He can’t stand playing centre. He hates playing centre. Every time I pick him there his shoulders drop and he starts sulking. But he’s an outstanding player whether he plays centre or back-row.”

Of course, the 26-year-old, who wears No 12, started out in the second-row, where his aggression and physicality was a natural asset.

Ablett won his first ring in the pack against St Helens in 2007 and again two years later. But, whether through injuries or otherwise, McDermott has often switched him further out wide and the player admits they’ve had a “running battle” over the last two years.

Which is exactly what he encountered with Warrington’s chief playmaker Lee Briers at the weekend.

They constantly seemed to be sniping and snarling at each other in their own personal duel.

“I just wanted to let him know I was there and didn’t want to give a free kick away,” said Ablett. “He’s a great player and kicker. Part of my job was to put him under a little pressure and I don’t think he took too kindly to being put under that sort of pressure.

“There was just a bit of banter.”

When not antagonising the mercurial stand-off, Ablett was busy creating tries for Kevin Sinfield and Ryan Hall – “Briers kept trying to shut me off so I knew Joel Monaghan might bite outside too” – while also going over himself for the score which effectively won Leeds’s sixth title in nine years.

Shaun Lunt picked him out with a short ball which, typically, saw him barge past Briers and he revealed: “It was exactly the same place on the pitch and exactly the same move as last year.

“It’s funny, I was talking to Lunty before saying whenever we get near their line, have a look down the short side and I’ll be there. Maybe I’ll have a chance.

“It panned out just like that, I didn’t even have to say anything; I just had a sense and the ball came at me so it was a little surreal and a bit of a deja vu, unreal moment.

“It was just great to be involved in another Grand Final of such intensity. We had to show some real character and I think our experience came to the front in the end.”