SIMON Grix must be heartbroken with the confirmation that he will miss out on a Challenge Cup Final appearance with Wolves for the third time.

Grix, aged 26, was sidelined with a serious shoulder injury when Wolves made their first Challenge Cup Final appearance for 19 years in 2009.

And a year later, when Wolves made history with a back-to-back success against Leeds Rhinos, he was recovering from serious illness.

He started this season on fire and was probably Wolves’ best performer in the opening few months of the campaign.

A pectoral injury sustained in the win at home to Leeds on June 8 resulted in him missing the next five matches, but he made a try-scoring return at centre against Bradford Bulls on July 29 and was on the bench in the team’s fine wins over St Helens and Wigan earlier this month.

He started at loose forward against London Broncos last Friday and, like many of his teammates, did not perform at his best and that could well have cost him his Wembley spot Smith’s decision to leave Grix out must have been one of the toughest selection calls because, even not at the height of his form, his ability to play in so many positions is of great value.

He has started games this year at loose forward, in the second row, at hooker, at half back and in the centres.

Mike Cooper ’s non-selection is another tough call that Smith had to make.

It will be only the fourth game this year that England Knights international Cooper has missed.

Only ever-present Chris Riley has played more games than the Warringtonian prop and he sits out for the second successive final, although he was in the 17 that defeated Huddersfield Giants at Wembley in 2009.