Jamie Soward v Trent Hodkinson
As much as this game will probably be won and lost in the forwards, to two conductors – Jamie Soward and Trent Hodkinson – will have a huge say in how this pans out. They each slotted match-winning field goals in their last games. They each have the maturity and temperament to grab this game by the scruff of the neck in the key moments. Neither is really flashy, but they have both made a habit of getting the job done for their teams in 2014 and that's exactly what is needed in the big end-of-year games.
Soward's 18 try assists and Hodkinson's nine try assists don't really tell the story of what they bring to their sides. Nor do their seven and five respective tries. Soward's three 40/20s and Hodkinson's four field goals provide a clue. But you really have to go to the highlights for the clutch conversions and high-pressure field goals to see the way these two guys stare down the weight of expectation, laugh in the face of pressure, make a mockery of nerves and provide exactly what their team needs. When the match is there to be won, expect one of these two to step up to the plate.
