The recipe of winning a grand final changes from year to year, however some of the ingredients required for success are very similar.
The current salary cap situation usually gives a team a two to three year window in which they can achieve the ultimate success of a grand final victory. The core element of a winning squad involves three of four senior representative players and a squad littered with up and coming talent that is yet to receive the contract fatness of a senior squad member.
After a side has great success, generally the team is ransacked by other clubs looking for players with the experience of winnings in big matches and also due to winning a grand final their players' value sky rocket and force the hand of a club that probably developed these players from the juniors. It's such a shame to lose players because you developed them so well.
This Sunday's grand final is between a team in its peak period – The Many Warringah Sea Eagles and a team that jump the cue as far as development goes and is probably two years ahead of where it should be the New Zealand Warriors.
It's going to be an interesting clash of strength versus flair, if the Warriors can hang on during the opening exchanges that Manly with give them they just win it on the buzzer with some young flair and fearless talent. If they can't hang on early the score line may go in Manly's favour and things could get very ugly.