STUART Fielden is desperate to help Wigan to Grand Final glory – even if it means missing the birth of his first child.

Warriors take on bitter rivals St Helens at Old Trafford tomorrow night aiming to end their eight-year wait for silverware.

The prop’s wife, Sophie, was due to give birth on Wednesday and could go into labour any day now.

But Fielden will sacrifice being at her bedside and rush from the hospital if he has to in order to play in his seventh Grand Final.

“I will be playing at Old Trafford on Saturday whatever happens,”

he said. “We have discussed it at length and it wasn’t an easy discussion.

“We are just hoping the baby comes after, otherwise I might be turning up 10 minutes before kick off covered in blood.”

Fielden has rediscovered the form which made Wigan pay Bradford at world-record £450,000 transfer in 2006.

The 31-year-old was widely regarded as the best front rower in the game then but his form took a dramatic slump over the past two seasons during which he became a target for Wigan’s boo boys.

But, under new coach Michael Maguire, Fielden has been back to his best and is being tipped for an England recall when Steve McNamara announces his squad for the Four Nations in New Zealand on Monday.

“It’s been such a terrible time,”

he said. “I’ve been in such a bad place and I’m lucky I’ve got the friends and family that I’ve had.

“The price tag affected me at the time and 2007 and 2008 were the worst years. It wasn’t the price tag itself – it was more people’s expectations.

“The worst thing ever is when you’re booed and getting rubbish off your own fans. You’re going to get it off every other team – and it’s sometimes funny.

“But when you get it off your own, you put a brave face on but it’s still very hurtful. It’s not just odd ones, a few years back it was the majority saying, ‘He’s this, he’s that’. It’s terrible.

“I did fear I would never play in a game like this again, especially some of my darkest times at Wigan.

“It’s good to be on the positive side at last. If I could put my finger on what’s changed I’d possibly write a book and be some great psychologist and make a lot of money. But the simple answer is I don’t know. The fixing of it has been Madge, Shaun Wane and Mark Bitcom. That’s not just about me.”

Fielden’s resurgence has been rewarded with a new two-year contract at the DW Stadium – but he admits he was tempted by an offer from Down Under to join an NRL club, believed to be North Queensland Cowboys.

He added: “It was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make. It was a massive boost to my confidence to be wanted by an NRL club. I have worked hard all year and it’s a great a team of that calibre wants you.

“I turned it down for family reasons because my first baby is due any time. It’s not the time with a brand new baby to go to Australia.

“But we could not be anywhere better in England than Wigan.”

Saints scrum-half Kyle Eastmond has been ruled out after failing to recover from damaged ankle ligaments sustained in the semi-final win over Huddersfield.