Million Pound Game: All you need to know ahead of tomorrow’s Rugby League Championship Grand Final between Leigh Centurions and Batley Bulldogs

The Bulldogs are just 80 minutes away from a place at Rugby League’s top table following a Championship season which saw Craig Lingard’s men finish fifth in the regular league campaign.

Their battling regular season-long performances, which culminated in 17 wins from 27 games, were rewarded with a play-off quarter-final tie at Barrow Raiders.

According to Batley player, Tom Gilmore, this game should have been their “Grand Final,” but they matched their 2021 heroics with a 18-8 win in Cumbria.

The Bulldogs’ reward was a semi-final encounter against second-placed Featherstone Rovers last weekend.

However, there was belief in the camp following two encouraging performances and results against Fev during the regular campaign.

The game at the Fox’s Biscuits Stadium was tied 20-20 before the Bulldogs claimed the spoils in the reverse fixture in June, winning 28-20.

And Lingard’s troops sent shockwaves around the RL world by stunning Fev again, holding on for a memorable 32-28 win.

Now, standing between them and a place in Super League for the first time, are Leigh Centurions.

You have to go back to February 7, for Leigh’s last, and only, league defeat of the season at Featherstone, the scene of Batley’s play-off semi-final win.

They are undefeated on home soil. They scored an astonishing 1,306 points during the regular season.

The two games between Leigh and Batley during this campaign have seen a 116-6 aggregate score in the Centurions’ favour.

Leigh effortlessly confirmed their place in the Grand Final beating York City Knights 70-10.

Bulldogs’ chairman of 25 years, Kevin Nicholas admitted if Batley do triumph then it will rank as “the biggest sporting achievement in history.”

The Million Pound Game takes place at Leigh Sports Village, WN7 4JY, kick off 6:30pm.

Ticket prices are: adults £25; over 65s £19; 18-21 year olds £19; 12-17 year olds £7; 5-11 year olds £5; under 5s are free.

Tickets can still be purchased via www.leightickets.co.uk - visiting fans have been allocated the South Stand and will need to select the ‘change to away’ option before selecting their seats.

The ticket office at Leigh Sports Village will also be open until half an hour after kick off. Alternatively, tickets can be bought by calling Leigh’s ticket office on 01942 487888.

The journey over the Pennines by car should take approximately 60 minutes from Batley.

Directions: follow the M62 Westbound before continuing onto the M60.

Exit it at J14 and continue on East Lancashire Road/A580 to St Helens/Leigh.

At Greyhound Island, take the 2nd exit and stay on East Lancashire Road/A580.

Turn right onto A579 and follow for approximately 1.5 miles.

At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Sale Way.

There will be over 1,000 free car parking spaces available on site.

There are also pay and display car parks situated in Leigh town centre, approximately 10-15 minutes’ walk from the stadium.

If you are travelling by train, the nearest train stations are Atherton (4.2miles), Newton-le-Willows (5.3miles) and Wigan North Western on the West Coast mainline (7.9miles).

If you can’t make it to Leigh Sports Village, the game will be shown live on Premier Sports 1, with coverage starting from 5:45pm.