Just call him Special K

SO GOOD: Kevin Sinfield celebrates as Leeds Rhinos claim the league leaders’ shield.

AS Kevin Sinfield prepares to say goodbye to rugby league, he has promised to do everything in his power to inspire Leeds Rhinos to the coveted treble.

The 35-year-old former Waterhead junior is bowing out at one of the sport’s biggest stages, Old Trafford, in tomorrow’s Super League Grand Final. Standing in the way of a perfect send off for Sinfield is Wigan Warriors.

With this season’s Challenge Cup and league leaders’ shield already in the bag, all that remains for the Headingley club to complete a hat-trick of silverware is success at the iconic home of Manchester United. Only Bradford and St Helens have achieved the feat previously in the Super League

Sinfield said: “It’s never been done in my time, so it would be really special. I’m looking forward to it and I’m pretty relaxed at the moment. No doubt I’ll be nervous tomorrow.

“I want to enjoy it and there’s a lot of people who have played a huge part in my career and it would be nice to put on a good performance for them.”

Sinfield, who is switching codes to play for Yorkshire Carnegie after this weekend’s big showdown, can’t wait to savour the Old Trafford experience again.

He added: “The crowd is pretty close to the pitch there and there is always a great atmosphere,” he said. It’s a great place to play.”




KING KEVIN


Sinfield is statistically Leeds’ greatest-ever captain and the third-highest scorer in the 120-year history of rugby league.

He has so far scored 4,225 points with only Neil Fox (6,220) and Jim Sullivan (6,022) above him in the all–time list.

Since making his debut for Leeds against Sheffield Eagles in August 1997, Sinfield has made 490 starts with another 30 appearances off the bench and scored 3,962 points for his club (86 tries, 1,789 goals and 40 drop goals).

He holds the record for most Super League appearances and was presented with the Top Gun award at the Man of Steel dinner this week for the most accurate goalkicking in Super League in 2015 - an 85.37 per cent success rate.

In the summer he set a new record for captaining teams in Challenge Cup finals, and already holds the record for most appearances and wins as captain in a grand final, having skippered Leeds seven times, winning six. His only defeat was against Bradford in 2005.

He is one of five players to have twice won the Harry Sunderland Trophy with the same club and one of just 11 players to have lifted both the Harry Sunderland Trophy and the Lance Todd Trophy, awarded to the Challenge Cup final’s man of the match.

He shares with Wigan’s Pat Richards the record for most points in a Grand Final after scoring 14 against Warrington in 2012.