St Helens skipper Keiron Cunningham is unsure about his future beyond this season, which could be his last.
Saints skipper not sure about future plans but relishing Cup final.
St Helens skipper Keiron Cunningham says an eighth Challenge Cup final will be just as exciting as his first, and it could well be the last for the veteran hooker.
32-year-old Cunningham played for Saints in the first Challenge Cup final of the new Super League era back in 1996, will move into second on the list of final appearances with his eighth matching that of Wigan duo Andy Gregory and Denis Betts.
Shaun Edwards is two ahead on 10 appearances and Cunningham says that matching Edwards' mark is out of his reach.
"I don't think that's going to happen, not unless I play three in one year," said Cunningham.
"The feeling is the same as the first one. I still get excited and I was nervous before today's game."
Future
Cunningham is out of contract at the end of the current season, and as yet he has not decided whether to carry on playing or hang up his boots.
Saints would like to get at least another year out of their home-grown leader, but he admits that the rigours of training and playing are taking their toll.
"I've got to see how it goes," he said. "I'm having a really good year and things are going well for me.
"I don't need the added pressure of worrying about contracts yet. If I'm going to finish this year, I'm going to finish on a real high, and, if I go around again next year, I want it to be one of the best years I've had.
"When you've been running around on the field since you were 17-year-old, it does take its toll on the body and for the next couple of days I'm going to be like a 60-year-old bloke getting round the house.
"I could play until I'm 40 if I just had to play - it's the training and stuff during the week which makes you retire."
Cup Success
Cunningham certainly had enough in his legs to help Saint to a superb semi-final victory over Leeds on Saturday - earning a 16th win on the bounce in all competitions.
Saints now head to the final eyeing a sixth Challenge Cup win in eight seasons and a third in a row for coach Daniel Anderson, who is leaving to return to Australia at the end of the season.
"It felt pretty good in the first half when we had plenty of the ball and were competing well," said Cunningham.
"In the second half, Leeds had a bit of a purple patch and we kept dropping everything. It was a tough 10 or 15 minutes but we weathered that and got a vital try from Bryn (Hargreaves).
"It was difficult for Leeds to re-adjust with the injuries they had but they've got a team full of international players and they seemed to handle it well."
