ONE player who The Wire will be keeping a very close eye on in Saturday’s final is Stefan Ratchford’s full-back counterpart Tony Gigot, writes Nathan Okell.

“A lot of their quality stuff comes through what he does,” said Ratchford.

“He’s a got a really good go-and-show, he’s strong, he bounces out of tackles, he spins away.

“Gigot hasn’t been successful with it against us yet, but he’s got a couple of tries against others when he looks to kick and then pulls the ball back in.

“He’s been more settled in the full-back role this year, but whether he plays full-back, centre, or stand-off, he’s a real attacking threat for them and comes up with some special plays.”

Gigot is hitting top form at the right time of the year – as St Helens found out to their cost in the semi-finals.

With new signings Josh Drinkwater and Kenny Edwards gaining praise for the way they have injected life into the flailing Frenchmen, Gigot has gone a little under the radar.

The 27-year-old, who had an anti-doping policy infringement hanging over him for much of last year before a ban was lifted, played a starring role in the Dragons’ shock 35-16 defeat of runaway league leaders Saints at the University of Bolton Stadium.

With distractions behind him, Gigot has been able to focus fully on helping the French side turn their fortunes around on the field.

The club’s Super League status for this year was only secured through the nail-biting Million Pound Game at Leigh Centurions.

It has been a remarkable turnaround for a Dragons side to have avoided the qualifiers and reach the cup final.

An upturn in form from mid-May has included Gigot crossing the whitewash on five separate occasions, including once against Wolves at The Halliwell Jones Stadium.

Gigot has also managed to slot over four drop goals in the Dragons’ purple patch, meaning he will be more than confident should his services be called upon at Wembley.

He leads the way for the Catalans in terms of tackle-busts, while also features highly with attacking kicks, try assists, offloads, clean breaks and metres.

His passion celebrating the tries and ultimately the victory in the semi-final win show how determined he will be to help Dragons spring another upset.