Greed may be a sin, but Kevin Sinfield, the Leeds Rhinos captain, readily admits it's one he is guilty of. He has three Super League winners' medals to his name already but is eager to add another to his collection in tomorrow's grand final against St Helens.
"You do get greedy. I've been fortunate to lift a Super League trophy three times and to taste the success, feel the atmosphere, and you just want more of it," he said.
"In terms of the feelings you get, the special memories, money can't buy them. They are created at events like this final."
If the Rhinos claim a third successive grand final win at Old Trafford, Sinfield will become the first man to captain a side to four victories in the end-of-season rugby league showpiece.
"The records are for your career to look back on. Moments you will cherish and tell the grandchildren when you are older," he said.
"Moments like Saturday night are why we all play rugby league because it's a great occasion. The two best sides in the country going head to head in a final. I don't think it gets any better than that."
Much of the build up to the match has been focused on Sean Long's autobiography. The St Helens player, who has four grand final wins, has made headlines with tales of excessive alcohol consumption and betting against his own team.
Sinfield is eager to read Long's book but does not follow the stereotype which portrays. "I understand there needs to be a time when you let your hair down and relax, and I understand there's a part to play within a team environment of alcohol in moderation," he said.
"But while I've got this opportunity I want to do my best to fulfil it. I want to be the best I can be, a better rugby player and person.
"I understand within schools, and kids who play rugby, that we are going to be role models and I think it's important we send the right messages out."
The winners of tomorrow's match will face Melbourne Storm in the World Club Challenge - a contest that could be held in a neutral venue. The match has been played in England since 2000, but supporters in the southern hemisphere will always consider the competition biased until the venue is neutral or rotated between host nations.
Sinfield welcomed the suggestion of a neutral venue and thinks Dubai Sports City would be ideal.
"I think that would be fantastic. Whether it's Leeds or St Helens who win the grand final, if you said to them, 'come and play it in Dubai for the World Club Challenge', you couldn't get them on the plane quick enough.
"It would suit the NRL team too as it would mean less travelling for them. I think it's really interesting and something we should explore. I also think it is something we need for the sport.
"We talk about northern England as the heartland of rugby league, but for it to grow and become a real global sport, we need to give people in other parts of the world the opportunity to see it and play it."
He feels the sport is ripe for development in other countries and there is fresh talent waiting to be discovered. Sinfield's former Leeds teammate, Wayne McDonald, is one of the driving forces behind the new Emirates National Rugby League, which aims to help the UAE reach the 2013 World Cup qualifiers.
The game is particularly popular with the Lebanese community, thanks mainly to the success of Hazem El Mazri, the Tripoli-born winger who has just retired after 13 years in the NRL with the Canterbury Bulldogs.
"He is a great example, and more could follow. There's talent everywhere and the great thing about rugby league is that you could be any shape, size or speed and there is a position for you," added Sinfield.
"You could also probably play it with a football if needs be, to help encourage people to play. It would be a great if there was a side in Dubai or it could host a World Club Challenge next year or in the future."
akhan@thenational.ae
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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It's up to you to go green
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
MATCH INFO
Championship play-offs, second legs:
Aston Villa 0
Middlesbrough 0
(Aston Villa advance 1-0 on aggregate)
Fulham 2
Sessegnon (47'), Odoi (66')
Derby County 0
(Fulham advance 2-1 on aggregate)
Final
Saturday, May 26, Wembley. Kick off 8pm (UAE)
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding