WHEN he was growing up with Danny Orr as his rugby league idol, the Grand Final was the sort of game a young Daryl Clark would dream of playing in.

But the day he fulfilled that dream with Warrington Wolves at Old Trafford in 2016 was probably not quite what he had imagined.

The Wire were so close to clinching the Super League – six points away, to be exact.

Two years on, he has the chance to break his duck of three finals played and three finals lost – his Grand Final loss sitting along two defeats at Wembley in the Challenge Cup final.

Clark, who joined The Wire from hometown club Castleford Tigers ahead of the 2015 season, said: "I’ve been in finals before and lost.

"I’ve not managed to get over the line and win one yet – that’s what we play the game for.

"The heartbreak of losing and the disappointment after the game isn’t a nice feeling, and we’ll be doing everything we can to make sure that’s not the case again."

He is well aware of how historic a Warrington win in Saturday’s clash with arch rivals Wigan Warriors would be.

The Wire have to look way beyond the dawn of the Super League era to 1955 for the last time they were crowned champions.

Clark, 25, added: "It’s the biggest game you can be involved in at club level, and if you can’t get up and be motivated to win a Grand Final then you’re in the wrong game.

"There will be no problem getting up for this game.

"We’ve got a chance to make history for Warrington – to be the first team to win a Grand Final would be something that people will remember forever.

"But it’s not going to be easy, Wigan are the form team at the minute and they haven’t lost for a number of games.

"We know it’s going to be really difficult but we believe that if we turn up, give 100 per cent and play to our best then we’re capable of winning the game.

"We've played well all year, and it would be amazing if we can get the job done on Saturday."

There will be one familiar foe from Clark’s junior rugby league days at Old Trafford during the Grand Final.

He faced off with Wigan’s John Bateman a number of times while playing for Fryston Warriors, including in finals against the NRL-bound second rower’s Bradford Dudley Hill.

On Saturday there will be a re-run of their clashes on the playing fields of west Yorkshire on British rugby league’s biggest stage.

Clark said: "From a pretty young age, everything was rugby orientated for me.

"I was fortunate enough that it all played out the way I wanted it to – I think I’d have been struggling if it didn’t, but luckily it did.

"Not many players get the chance to play in Grand Finals throughout their career, let alone win one.

"To put your name up with some of the greats who have played here and won the Grand Final would be pretty special.

"John was a year below me, but he played in the year above his age.

"We played a couple of finals together and our amateur teams were in the same league.

"He has always been quality, he was always the best player - he was always bigger, faster and stronger than everyone else so not much has changed."

Hooker Clark is expecting a busy time on Saturday, with the battle of the number nines against Wigan’s Sam Powell set to be a key clash in the middle of the park.

The England international said: "He’s a quality player and he has been outstanding for Wigan all year.

"We’ve seen him play in the halves and now he’s gone to number nine – he is very versatile and he does a very good job for them, he will definitely be one to watch.

"Big games are normally won in the middle.

"It’s not too much about flashy stuff, it’s more about completing your sets and field position.

"The team that makes less errors normally wins the game.

"I don’t think either team will be too flashy – we will both be going down the middle, trying to complete sets and try not to make those errors.

"It will be a really tight and tough game."