The officiating team for the Super League Grand Final has been confirmed, with Chris Kendall taking centre-stage alongside some colleagues.
It will be his third Grand Final, with the first final he officiated being Sheffield Eagles’ 1895 Cup victory in 2019.
That year, he also took the RFL Championship Grand Final that saw Toronto Wolfpack beat Featherstone Rovers, and the Super League Grand Final that saw St Helens defeat Salford Red Devils.
He then took Saints’ unsuccessful World Club Challenge appearance in 2020, aa well as their Super League Grand Final win over Wigan Warriors later that year.
Since then, he has taken a number of big games, including the last two Challenge Cup finals.
Most recently, he officiated Wigan Warriors’ 38-0 victory over Leigh Leopards to set up their game against Hull KR at Old Trafford this weekend.
Officials appointed for ultimate Super League showdown
Alongside Kendall, Liam Moore will be the video referee for the afternoon.
Also someone that isn’t new to the big occasion, Moore took the Grand Final as referee last year, when the Warriors defeated Catalans Dragons, and also officated the controversial World Club Challenge game that saw Wigan defeat Penrith Panthers earlier this year.
He took the other semi-final, Hull KR’s victory over Warrington Wolves, and will now have a say at the main event.
This also sees a return of the officiating team for this year’s controversial Challenge Cup final, where two early yellow cards were shown, changing the early flow of the occasion.
Kendall said, speaking to the State of Mind podcast earlier this year: “It would have been easier for me and Liam to ignore our framework because it was the Challenge Cup Final but that’s not what’s right for the game, and that’s not what’s right for ultimately the safety and the long-term safety of players going forward.”
They will, however, surely hope there isn’t a repeat of that this time round, in the Super League Grand Final.
Eric T Cat
October 8, 2024 at 10:29 pm
Now I know it’s Kendall I’ll be getting my money on Wigan. Unfortunately I’m a Rovers fan, but his record goes before him, check his stats, Wigan rarely lose under his refereeing. Their win percentage under him is higher than their average win percentage.