Catalans Dragons need to be at best in Super League Grand Final but even that may not be good enough, warns Steve McNamara

The Dragons are aiming to take the sport's biggest domestic prize back to France for the first time after falling agonisingly short in 2021.

McNamara's men won the League Leaders' Shield but could not complete the job at Old Trafford as St Helens claimed a tense 12-10 win thanks to Kevin Naiqama's second try in the closing stages.

Catalans face table-toppers Wigan Warriors in this year's decider after bouncing back from a disappointing end to the 2022 campaign.

McNamara, who took over in 2017 and has also led the club to Challenge Cup glory, knows only the Dragons' best will do in the Old Trafford showpiece – and even that may not be good enough.

When asked whether this was the best Catalans side of his reign, McNamara replied: "We'll see. We had a pretty good one a couple of years ago but what we learnt then was playing good in a Grand Final isn't good enough.

"We actually probably played very good but very good wasn't good enough.

"To win a Grand Final, you've got to be excellent. You've got to be outstanding and at the top of your game.

"We saw in Brisbane-Penrith, Brisbane were outstanding but that wasn't good enough to win a Grand Final.

"We've learnt so much and will see how good we are on Saturday."

The Dragons missed out on a second League Leaders' Shield success on points difference after Wigan won their final eight games of the regular season to claim top spot.

St Helens also finished on 40 points before losing to Catalans in last week's semi-final as their four-year reign as champions came to an end.

McNamara views the date with Wigan as a fitting finale to a taxing season.

"It's one versus two and the right Grand Final this year for this competition," said the 52-year-old, whose side won two games to Wigan's one in the previous meetings this year..

"In my opinion, both teams deserve to be there because of the seasons that we've had.

"Us against Saints was one versus two and it's the same again this year; we're not playing a team that have made a late run and chased it like Leeds did last year.

"It's the two best teams in the competition. These seasons are gruelling. They're tough, tough seasons.

"For me, on merit, both teams get to go out there on Saturday night. We've had some really good games against them this year – one where we clearly came out on top and one where they clearly came out on top.

"It'll be a great game, I'm sure."

The spotlight has been on Sam Tomkins ahead of the veteran full-back's final game against his boyhood club, while Australian half-back Mitchell Pearce is also retiring this weekend.

Wigan-bound Adam Keighran and Tyrone May, who has signed for Hull KR, are among the other players moving on but McNamara insists there is no extra motivation for his side.

"It's not something that is really spoken about," he said. "The players aren't really interested internally about speaking too much about it.

"It carries on as normal. They're both (Tomkins and Pearce) just really fixated on playing well and being on the top of their game.

"We'll speak about them and wish them all well afterwards rather than before."