Rugby League: Glanville enters arena with ring of confidence

Leeds' Australian second-rower will handle pressure of Super League Grand Final.

THE FIRST thing you notice about Marc Glanville's beefy handshake is the solid lump of gold wrapped around his middle finger. It is a reminder that Leeds' Australian second-rower has been there, done that, got the jewellery. Glanville is the only man at Old Trafford tomorrow to have played in a winning Grand Final; completing back-to-back victories in the English version will give him side-by-side commemorative rings.

Glanville played 10 seasons at the Newcastle Knights in Australia, culminating with the club's first Premiership in 1997.

"It was my last game for the club, so it was a great experience and left me with memories that will last forever. To win back-to-back Grand Finals would be really special."

Although Wigan clearly have the edge tomorrow in terms of experience of domestic success, Glanville's status as the only man to emerge as a winner from the play-off system Britain has now adopted makes him a pivotal figure at Old Trafford. "I've been able to pass on a few tips on how to handle it and hopefully I've been able to contribute a fair bit this season," he said.

Newcastle are famous for the fervour of their support; the parties in the town after the victory last year went on for days. Glanville has detected the same hunger for success at Leeds.

"The supporters have been great all year. We've been playing well and winning and they were crying out for a team that can win something for them. When the Grand Final tickets went on sale on Sunday night, the line- up looked about a mile long. Newcastle fans are really passionate and I'm sure the Leeds crowd on Saturday will be the same way."

Glanville, now 32 but already signed for another season at Headingley, has lived up to his reputation as one of the most hard-working and effective back-row forwards in the game; he is generally regarded as unlucky not to have played for Australia.

If his main contribution has been to add defensive steel and organisation to the Leeds pack, then he showed in the resounding 44-16 victory over St Helens last weekend which opened the door to the Grand Final that he can do damage in attack as well.

Although Glanville was struggling with a knee injury during the build- up to that game, he scored one try and set up another with a telling break and pass to Francis Cummins.

Glanville believes that Leeds' success so far this year has been built on exceptional team spirit - and when an ex-Knight says that, he knows what he is talking about.

For that, he gives much of the credit to Graham Murray, his fellow Australian whose coaching techniques have transformed the club. "He's got the best out of all the players," Glanville says.

But, just as at Newcastle, there are one or two who stand out. There Glanville played alongside the Johns brothers, Matthew and Andrew, who orchestrate the team and are, according to Malcolm Reilly, their recently- departed coach, just about the two most talented players in the world.

Glanville, for one, is prepared to put Iestyn Harris, the Leeds captain, in the same bracket. "Having played with the three of them, I'd put him right up there with them as a player. He has the same way of dominating a game and, at his age, he's only going to get better every time he plays in a big game like this. Experiencing more Test football is going to improve him as well; they can't possibly leave him out of the Great Britain team against the Kiwis."

For Glanville, tomorrow at Old Trafford will slot in alongside last year's Australian Grand Final as the biggest game of his career. Wigan's Danny Moore played for Manly that day and it looked to be him and his team-mates who were destined to wear the rings when they were six points ahead with five minutes to play.

"But we got it back to 16-all and then won it with a try with 60 seconds left," said Glanville. "We left it a bit late, but I wouldn't mind if we won it that way at Old Trafford.

"It's going to be very difficult for us against a team like Wigan," he admits, but his recent experience proves that games like this are never lost until they are over.

"It's been a great season for Leeds. The Academy team winning their competition last week augurs well for the future. Knowing that they are coming up behind us pushes us to keep playing well."

But, if the future lies with that exceptional crop of local youngsters, the know-how of an Australian veteran could be of inestimable value at Old Trafford. That handshake could be even heavier by tomorrow night.