Leeds Rhinos relaxed ahead of Grand Final as Rohan Smith strikes positive tone

Saints have won the last three title deciders to stand on the brink of an unprecedented four-peat.

Kristian Woolf's side finished the regular season 13 points better off than the Rhinos and have won the previous 11 meetings - but Smith is confident his team can mix it with the champions on the biggest stage of all.

"We don’t have the collective experience of being there together but there’s eight or nine players who have played in NRL or Super League Grand Finals so the big occasion experience is there," he said.

"Saints have been there together, their core group, but once the whistle goes none of that counts for anything. It is about who’s better on the day. We will be doing our best to stop their run."

Leeds are back at Old Trafford for the first time since 2017 thanks to memorable wins over Catalans Dragons and Wigan Warriors.

Smith believes the Rhinos are in a good place to complete the most remarkable story of the summer era.

“We’ve had good energy this week and recovered well,” said Smith, who inherited a team sat in 11th place when he took over in April.

"There’s good spirit and I think everyone’s just embracing the occasion and the opportunity.

"The boys are ready and excited. It has been a good week and the atmosphere has been calm.

"I'm sure there’ll be a few nerves coming into the day but it has been pretty relaxed."

Smith has been forced to cope with selection issues throughout his time at the club and this week has been no different with David Fusitu'a, Harry Newman, Aidan Sezer, Morgan Gannon and Tom Holroyd all ruled out.

Jarrod O’Connor, Sam Walters, both 21, and Liam Tindall, 20, are potential Grand Final debutants.

“There’ll be a few young kids playing for sure," said Smith.

“It will be a great experience but they’ve handled the hostile environment of Perpignan the other week and not many teams go to Wigan and win against a team playing as well as that.

“They were undefeated at home all season and we went into their environment and the kids played well so I expect them to do the same.”

The Rhinos have developed a winning habit, claiming nine victories in their last 10 games to reach Old Trafford.

Smith has stressed that Leeds may have to win ugly again if they are to claim a ninth title.

“We’ve had a lot of wins," he added. "Some of them haven’t been the prettiest performances but at this time of the year with the most competitive games, it’s quite scrappy and messy at times.

“It’s about competing well and playing together, and we have done that really well.”

Today's match is Woolf’s last in Super League as he prepares to take his family back to Australia.

However, he has had no time for sentimentality in the build-up.

“I’m very focused on the game,” said the Saints boss.

“I haven’t thought about what happens afterwards. It’s been a busy week and there hasn’t been much time for reflection.”

Captain James Roby believes winning four in a row would make the current St Helens team arguably the best of all time.

“We know how special it would be,” he said. “It’s hard to compare teams from different eras but there’s no argument that if go on to win on Saturday, it would have to be up there.”