Sunday 19 February 2017 18:19, UK
Can Wigan break their NRL curse? The Warriors go up against the Cronulla Sharks on Sunday having not won a world club title since 1994.
Wigan are chasing a record fourth world club crown but they are underdogs against a Sharks side that won their first Premiership in 49 years last October.
Let's take a look at three head-to-heads that might decide the DW Stadium contest:
Sean O'Loughlin v Paul Gallen
The two captains will go head-to-head on the field but which of O'Loughlin or Gallen will add the World Club Series trophy to their respective domestic titles?
It was an injury-hit 2016 for the Wigan skipper. O'Loughlin only played 14 times in Super League, missing three separate chunks of the season before making a miraculous recovery from a leg injury to play against Warrington at Old Trafford, albeit off the bench.
O'Loughlin will want a better campaign this time round and his experience on Sunday could be vital. He has won seven major trophies with Wigan, playing in 11 finals, but the world title still eludes him, like the majority of his teammates.
The captain's defence is a crucial part of Shaun Wane's game plan and expect to see him near the top of the tackle count after 80 minutes.
Sunday will be the third time O'Loughlin leads a Wigan side into the showpiece occasion, but will he become their first skipper since Shaun Edwards to hoist the trophy?
What a year 2016 was for Gallen. He captained his beloved Sharks side to their first Premiership win in 49 years, a fairytale story that reduced the forward to tears after the win over Melbourne Storm on that famous night in Sydney.
Gallen's given 17 years and 324 games to the Cronulla cause so it would certainly be fitting if he were to guide them to a first world title as well.
Now 35, it's likely this season will be his last. A State of Origin veteran and World Cup winner, Gallen has seen and done it all. He has played all across the forwards but is used now at loose forward as a workhorse.
Gallen is a tackling and running machine, giving every last drop in every game. Will he cap an illustrious career with another trophy?
Frank-Paul Nuuausala v Andrew Fifita
The forward battle between the Super League and NRL teams are always titanic and Wigan have to make sure they win that clash to get a foothold in the game. But that's no easy job.
Fortunately, the Warriors can call on a man with plenty of NRL experience to help them out. Nuuausala joined the club back in June and went on to play a key role in Wigan's Grand Final win. The 'Wrecking Ball' averaged an impressed 8.03 metres a drive from his 71 carries, the best gain of any Wigan player last season.
The Warriors will need those sort of figures come Sunday night. They need big carries, big hits and a player capable of mixing it with the NRL's best.
Nuuausala has proven experience in doing that Down Under. He started against Salford on Saturday but Shaun Wane could choose to use him from the interchange bench to give his side impact after the initial opening exchanges. Can Nuuausala put a few cats among the NRL pigeons with his barnstorming drives?
Facing Wigan is a master in front row wizardry in Fifita. The prop is another State of Origin star and Australia World Cup winner, having come off the bench in that 2013 final at Old Trafford.
But it's been a difficult off-season. He was left out of the Test side for the Four Nations after a controversial on-field show of support for a convicted murderer. And that's despite playing a starring role in Cronulla's Premiership final win. The prop scored the match-winning try 10 minutes from time, driving through four would-be defenders to plonk the ball down and secure himself a place in Sharks history.
At his best, Fifita is a destructive prop forward, one of the best in the game and capable of making metres at will. Wigan need to shut him down but after Fifita's difficult end to 2016, he'll be out to prove a point.
George Williams v James Maloney
With the forwards ready to set the platform, which set of backs will add the sparkle? It could come down to the match-ups in the half-backs to decide the outcome of this game.
Williams has a new half-back partner in old Wigan hero in Thomas Leuluai, who returned from the NRL to replace Matty Smith. Wigan hope Leuluai's experience and ability to lead the side round a park will help Williams flourish.
England international Williams is Wigan's most creative force and capable of opening gaps in any opposition. He started well against Salford, scoring a try, typically stepping back against the defence to dive over, and also created one for Joe Burgess with a delicate kick into the corner.
Williams provided the most try assists for the Warriors last season with 18 and also scored nine tries, the joint-fourth best in the Wigan side. But can the stand-off make the step up and pick apart an NRL defence?
There's pressure on the shoulders of Maloney this season. He is missing two crucial teammates from the Premiership-winning side that helped form such an important axis in 2016. Full-back Ben Barba has gone to play rugby union, joining Toulon, while hooker Michael Ennis has retired.
It was an impressive first season for Maloney at Cronulla though, winning the title in his first campaign after joining from the Sydney Roosters. Already a State of Origin representative, Maloney's form with the Sharks led to a first Australia call-up for the Four Nations this autumn, starting against Scotland and coming off the bench against New Zealand.
Maloney already has experience in winning this trophy, and against the Warriors too, having started at stand-off against Wigan in 2014, kicking six from six with the boot as they eased to a 36-14 win. Can he now do the same for the Sharks and break Wigan hearts again?
