ANDREW Johns sees no reason why Wolves cannot maintain their impressive form all the way to the Super League Grand Final.
Echoing the thoughts of the returning Simon Grix, who is taking inspiration from Bradford's run from obscurity to champions in 2005, Johns has backed Wolves to finish the season strongly if they can avoid injuries to key players.
The former Wolves and Australian Test scrum half was in town for Sunday's 43-24 hammering of Wigan - a fourth 40-point win on the bounce - and also held a training session with the club's halves on Tuesday before jetting off to Rome yesterday, Wednesday, for the rest of his holiday in Europe.
Joey was highly impressed with Wolves' performance against his brother Matthew's old club Wigan, which lifted Paul Cullen's men into the top four and put them in pole position for a home play-off tie at the end of the season.
And he believes Cullen, who was named Super League's coach of the month for July days after signing a new two-year contract, will play a key part in any success for the club in the next couple of years.
The self-confessed Wolves fan said: "I didn't know what to expect on Sunday. Wigan got beaten in the Challenge Cup but have been playing really well.
"But the boys blew them off the park and played really well.
"I was very impressed. They played really strong as a unit. A few players stood out but all round it was a great team effort.
"I've played with a lot of the guys and I know what their ability is. If they get that luck with no injuries, there's no reason why they can't go all the way this season.
"There's a lot of games to be played until then but I think they realise it too. The coach said there's a good feeling among the players.
"It's good to see Paul Cullen getting a new contract. He's been a great servant to the club.
"I see a great future for the club in the next couple of years and Paul will be involved with it. He's a great motivator. He understands the game and gets the best out of players."
Grix, who played his first competitive first-team game in 13 months against Wigan, is also optimistic about Wolves' chances of a strong performance in the play-offs with the club on the up after overcoming their mid-season injury crisis.
He said: "We've come good and everyone's realised that there's something to aim for.
"We're in the top four and anything can happen now. There's five games left and anything can happen in the play-offs, regardless of where we finish.
"Bradford did it, they finished third and won it. There's no reason at all why we can't do something like that."
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