A few thoughts ahead of Super Bowl XLV on Monday morning.

This really should be a great Super Bowl. The Packers have won three straight road games to make it through to the decider, in a similar fashion to the New York Giants of 2007. Unlike the AFL, the teams that supposedly 'scrape' into the playoffs can do some damage,

Both are storied, old-fashioned NFL franchises, so old-school that they don't even have cheerleaders. This will be a rare cheerleader-free Super Bowl, ironic when it is playing in the gleaming new home of the Dallas Cowboys, whose cheerleaders are the most iconic in all of sports.

The Steelers don't need cheerleaders. They have those ubiquitous yellow, 'terrible towels' that their fans wave at every game. Even when the Steelers play on the road, they have this massive and large supporter base. The Steelers have long been owned by the venerable Rooney family. principal owner Dan Rooney has taken a leave of absence from managing the team because of more pressing duties as the US ambassador to Ireland.

Ben Roethlisberger is the Steelers quarterback. Love him or hate him (and there are plenty of justifiable reasons for the latter) he is a star. He is tough, durable and he makes plays all the time. Tom Brady and Peyton Manning quinella the field when it comes to NFL quarterback ratings, but if Big ben wins this, he will have three Super Bowl rings, just like Brady. Manning has just the one.

But Troy Polamalu is the star for the Steelers. The safety with the long and insured (for $US1 million) hair is the key player for Pittsburgh. He is a ball hawk who causes turnovers and if the Packers want to win, they'll need to keep the ball safely away. If you're not sure who he is, just look for the Steeler with the hair when the Packers have the ball.

Aaron Rodgers is the quarterback for the Packers. It is said in sport that you don't want to be the player who follows the legend. You want to be the player who follows the player who follows the legend. Ask Matthew Knights. But Rodgers has been so good in his three yars behind center for the Packers that the locals have quickly forgotten about Brett Favre. Favre led the Pack to one Super Bowl in 15 years as the starting QB and Rodgers, who is no great fan of the player he replaced, might do it in three.

The Packers are an NFL anachronism. The league was founded in the 1920s in various small to medium sized towns in America's mid-west but all except for the Packers decamped to larger cities. The Packers, the team made famous by legendary coach Vince Lombardi hail from a city of just over 100,000 people but draws its support from the entire state of Wisconsin. Just like the Steelers, they have a large national population.

And the Packers are the only American professional sports team not be privately-owned.

Surprisingly for a team from the frigid north of the United States, the Packers are speedy and they are well suited for an indoor stadium like Cowboys Stadium. It is why many people are giving them the edge on Monday. Rodgers and his fast receivers could really stretch the Pittsburgh defense, Polamalu not withstanding.

Finally, enjoy the game because it might be the last NFL game for a while. Players and owners have yet to negotiate a new labour agreement and there is every chance the players will be locked out by the clubs before next season. It could drag on into next season.

The NFL is a multi-billion dollar industry and clearly the most popular spectator sport in the US and one of the top three in the world. Yet the players and owners can't agree on how to share such unbelievable wealth. Amazing.