Rugby fan travels 10,000 miles for Grand Final

A rugby fan has travelled 10,000 miles from Sydney because he "just couldn't miss out" on the chance to see his beloved club lift the Super League Grand Final trophy.

On Saturday, Warrington Wolves will take on Wakefield Trinity in this final at Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium.

Both clubs are hoping to make history, as neither has previously won the Grand Final.

Long-time Warrington supporter Paul Keppel, who has backed the club for 27 years, said he woke up feeling "nervous" but believed his team had a "50/50 chance" of winning.

His older brother took him to his first match when he was 11 and, "from then onwards I was pretty much hooked", he said.

Having moved to Australia with his partner two years ago, he said regularly attending matches was one of the things he missed most.

"I am quite fortunate to be able to just come over," he said, adding: "It is going to be a very big day," as he prepared to watch the match with 17 friends.

When the former season-ticket holder moved to Australia, he launched a podcast dedicated to the club called The Wire in Bondi, which has featured interviews with former players including Chris Riley, Lee Briers and Kurt Gidley.

During his journey from Australia, he said: "I had a Wakefield fan on my plane and we were chatting. He's come over from the suburbs of Sydney.

"One of us is going to be very disappointed on the way home."

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