Men of the match

By Phil Gordos BBC Sport Online in Edinburgh

St Helens v Wigan, Saturday at 1445 BST
Live on BBC One at 1400 BST
Live audio commentary on BBC Five Live Sports Extra and BBC Sport Online.

Take a look at the Wigan and St Helens line-ups for Saturday's Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Challenge Cup final and almost every name leaps off the page as a likely Lance Todd Trophy winner.

Awarded to the man of the match, the accolade is one of the most prestigious in the game and one that all players covet.

Sean Long and Tommy Martyn know what it means to be voted the best player on still the biggest day in the rugby league calendar.

  Lance Todd Trophy

The award was named in memory of Lance Todd, a New Zealand tourist who played for Wigan and coached Salford. He died in a car crash following a game at Oldham

Long was singled out last year following his sparkling performance in the 13-6 defeat of Bradford Bulls at Twickenham.

A player with a keen appetite for tries, he was responsible for setting them up on this occasion, two well-placed kicks giving Martyn and Keiron Cunningham the chance to touch down.

The blond-haired number seven also weighed in with two conversions as Saints recorded their third Challenge Cup success in six years.

The victory also ensured Ian Millward's side completed the treble, coming as it did in the wake of success in Super League V and the World Club Challenge.

Long is just as instrumental to St Helens 12 months on.

Many point to his absence in the second half of last season as the chief reason the club failed to retain their Super League crown.

It also severely hampered Great Britain in their attempt to wrest the Ashes from Australia at the end of the year.

Sculthorpe: Man of Steel

Now, after recovering from a serious knee injury, he is back pulling the strings as Saints attempt to recapture their place at the top of the rugby league tree.

In 1997, it was Martyn who took centre stage, scoring a brace of tries in St Helens' 32-22 victory over the Bulls.

Like Long, Martyn has the ability to leave opposition defences in tatters with his missile-guided passes and armour-piercing kicks.

At 30, the stand-off is entering the twilight of his career but remains as significant to Saints' cause as his 25-year-old team-mate.

Just ask Wigan.

Martyn was dynamite the last time the two sides met, blowing holes in the Warriors defence as St Helens ran out impressive 19-0 victors.

A repeat performance in Edinburgh is the last thing Stuart Raper's team want.

  The last 10 winners

2001 - Sean Long (St Helens)

2000 - Henry Paul (Bradford)

1999 - Leroy Rivett (Leeds)

1998 - Mark Aston (Sheffield)

1997 - Tommy Martyn (St Helens)

1996 - Robbie Paul (Bradford)

1995 - Jason Robinson (Wigan)

1994 - Martin Offiah (Wigan)

For Wigan, Radlinski, Brett Dallas, Terry O'Connor, Terry Newton and Andrew Farrell are the players Saints will fear most.

Should either Long or Martin win the Lance Todd Trophy on Saturday, they will become only the fourth player to land the honour for a second time.

Warrington's Gerry Helme was the first, winning in 1950 and 1954.

Andy Gregory, in 1988 and 1990, was the second, quickly followed by Wigan team-mate Martin Offiah, who was man of the match in both 1992 and 1994.

There is added incentive for Long. If he collects another Lance Todd Trophy on Saturday, he will be the first player to land successive awards.

A notable achievement at any time but especially given the calibre of players on show in the Scottish capital this weekend.

For St Helens, Darren Albert, Anthony Stewart, Paul Sculthorpe and Cunningham stand out.

Albert and Stewart both scored hat-tricks in the semi-final demolition of Leeds, Sculthorpe is the current Man of Steel while Cunningham was the only Briton to feature in a recent 'World XIII'.

Farrell has the complete game

Radlinski's recent illness - he has been hospitalised for most of the week with a blood disorder - might take the edge off his game .

The speedy Dallas was also a doubt at one stage after taking a nasty whack to his jaw in the semi-final.

As for O'Connor and Newton, they will walk through brick walls for the Wigan cause and will test the Saints defence for the entire 80 minutes.

That leaves Captain Fantastic.

Farrell is a player who commands enormous respect, leading by example for both club and country.

He is also deadly with the boot, deceptively quick and full of ideas - a future Lance Todd Trophy winner if ever there was one.