
A new name will go on the Northern Rail Cup on Sunday when Championship pacesetters Featherstone take on last year's runners-up Halifax at Blackpool's Bloomfield Road.
Featherstone have reached their first Northern Rail Cup final at the 11th attempt aiming to add the trophy to the Championship title they won last September while Halifax are hoping to make amends for their dramatic 20-16 defeat by Leigh in last's Blackpool showpiece.
"We've had the experience of winning the Championship Grand Final but never this one and I'd love to add it," said Rovers coach Daryl Powell.
"Winning the Northern Rail Cup has been a target for us for many seasons but we've never quite managed it. This year we've cracked it and got there but it means nothing if we don't get the win."
Powell is acutely aware of the threat posed by Halifax, who gained golden-point victories over them in both the 2010 Grand Final and last season's Northern Rail Cup semi-final.
"Halifax are a good team and they've got some quality players so the game really is 50-50," he said.
"We've had a couple of real tussles with them this season. We just beat them early on in the Northern Rail Cup but then we got absolutely hammered at home.
"We'd just played Wigan and they put the cleaners through us. We know what they can do. They're a clever side with loads of pace. Hopefully it's going to be a great final."
While Halifax look to break their duck, their coach Karl Harrison will be aiming to complete a hat-trick of wins after enjoying success with Batley in 2010 and Salford in 2003.
Another man with happy memories of Blackpool is Halifax prop Jim Gannon, who will be appearing in his fourth consecutive final looking to even up the score.
He won the Cup twice with Widnes but suffered heartache 12 months ago when Tom Armstrong's last-minute try won it for Leigh.
"I can't wait," he said. "It's always a hard task against Featherstone, who are a very physical side.
"At the start of the season winning the Northern Rail Cup was one of our targets and now we are so close to achieving it.
"It would be great for our fans, especially after we lost in the final minute of the final last year. It was a cruel way to lose."
Featherstone have won their last 11 games going back to their 60-12 home defeat by Halifax in May.
The match will mark the 250th career appearance of Featherstone's prolific scorer Liam Finn, who began his career at Halifax and has not failed to score for more than 12 months.



