WARRINGTON Wolves are aiming to complete a perfect week with a win at St Helens after a memorable victory against Hull FC was followed by the extension of Brent Grose's contract until the end of 2008.

Wolves go to Knowsley Road tomorrow night, Friday, to face second-placed Saints in an 8pm kick-off having moved into Super League's top six for the first time this season with a 36-34 win against Hull on Sunday.

And they will be encouraged in their bid to pull off a shock result against their local rivals by the fact that their improvement in recent weeks has been enough to convince Grose to commit himself to the club for another three years.

Wolves coach Paul Cullen is delighted with the recapture of the influential Australian, who had recently told Warrington Guardian readers in his monthly column that he would like to end his career with the club.

Cullen said: "Brent is an outstanding three-quarter, has proven to be versatile and willing to play out of position, and has made the full-back position his own.

"He has always been a part of my plans, because now that the three overseas spots at the club are at a premium we have to make absolutely sure that the players occupying those spots operate in the manner we expect them to."

And by putting pen to paper Grose is the first import on Wolves' books for 2006.

Rival clubs in England and Australia showed interest in the 25-year-old speedster but Grose, who was out of contract at the end of this season, described his decision to sign up again as an 'easy one'.

He said: "People have been great to me since I arrived. I've settled here, I've bought a house - it just feels like home for me!"

It is turning out to be quite a year for Grose, who has adapted superbly to the full-back berth and will marry his fiance Kylie in October.

He is hoping to celebrate his new deal by helping Wolves to achieve their first Knowsley Road win for 11 years tomorrow, and beyond that his ambitions are clear.

"I am no different to any other player in that I play to win and to enjoy my football. Winning trophies is my ambition and I want to win quite a few trophies here at Warrington," he said.

Grose has developed superbly under Cullen after

arriving from South Sydney Rabbitohs as a winger in 2002, and finished top of Warrington's try-scoring charts as a centre in 2003 and 2004.

He said: "I've definitely grown as a player while I've been over here. I think I'm a lot more mature as a player, and I'm a better player now than I was two years ago.

"I've really enjoyed watching the club grow too and becoming a strength in Super League, and also to see the players around me grow - guys like Ben Westwood, who is playing out of his skin.

"Some of these guys were young like me when I first arrived, but we're all coming together and starting to get things right."

Grose knows how much the Wolves fans would cherish a win at St Helens, and said: "We'd like to deliver it for them and we'd like to deliver it for ourselves.

"Every team has been to St Helens and copped hidings in the past. We're close to full strength for the game and know it's going to be tough.

"We're quietly confident, and are looking to enjoy our football there and keep playing the way we have been.

"If we do that, then I'm sure we'll come away with the two points."

Cullen also believes Wolves' recent sequence of four consecutive league wins - their best run within one season since 1999 - will give them a chance at Knowsley Road, where St Helens have won each of their six home games this season.

He said: "We are determined to go there and give as good an account of ourselves as we can.

"We go there with confidence because we are moving forward, and to go into the game on the back of four wins in the style that accompanied them is a great positive for us.

"But Saints have fantastic flair with the ball and are a very classy team, and although we played very well against Bradford, Wakefield and Hull FC, we know that we'll have to play even better to beat St Helens."

Lee Briers' involvement against his old club is in doubt after he picked up a slight hamstring strain against Hull, with Chris Bridge on standby to replace Briers in the only likely change to the starting line-up should the Wolves skipper fail a fitness test.

Sean Long is expected to start for Saints after a substitute appearance at Huddersfield on Sunday on his comeback from injury, while Ade Gardner returns to the 18-man squad along with Mark Edmondson and ex-Warrington player Paul Sculthorpe, who has been described by Cullen - once a teammate of Sculthorpe's - as 'one of the world's best players'.

Sculthorpe is expected to be named as Great Britain's new captain when the training squad for the Tri-Nations Series is announced on Tuesday, with Cullen suggesting that both Briers and regular international Martin Gleeson deserve to be involved.

Simon Grix has been ruled out for the rest of the season after discovering that he requires an operation after suffering horrific ankle injuries in an under 21s match in February, but Daryl Cardiss should return to training in two weeks following hamstring and back problems.

Warren Stevens did not figure for Leigh at the weekend after joining on a month's loan, but Jamie Durbin impressed for Widnes against Leeds before returning to Wolves after the expiry of his loan spell.

Wolves (from): Brent Grose, Henry Fa'afili, Martin Gleeson, Toa Kohe-Love, Graham Appo, Chris Bridge, Nathan Wood, Chris Leikvoll, Jon Clarke, Mark Hilton, Logan Swann, Mike Wainwright, Ben Westwood, Paul Wood, Danny Lima, Mark Gleeson, Paul Noone, Lee Briers.

Statistical preview

Last meeting: Wolves 16 Saints 18, March 4, 2005. Henry Fa'afili and Graham Appo crossed, while Lee Briers kicked four goals. Away results versus Saints in Super League (Wolves first): 1996, 14-66; 1997, 16-60; 1998, 14-36; 1999, 20-57; 2000, 20-50 and 18-58; 2001, 16-70; 2002, 2-72; 2003, 6-56; 2004, 8-28. Saints squad: Paul Wellens, Ade Gardner, Jamie Lyon, Willie Talau, Darren Albert, Jason Hooper, Sean Long, Nick Fozzard, Keiron Cunningham, Mark Edmondson, Lee Gilmour, Jon Wilkin, Paul Sculthorpe, Mick Higham, Mike Bennett, Keith Mason, Paul Anderson, Dominic Feaunati, James Graham, Ian Hardman, James Roby, Maurie Fa'asavalu, Scott Moore, Vinnie Anderson. Links with Saints: Paul Sculthorpe and Nick Fozzard have both turned out for Wolves, while Martin Gleeson, Lee Briers and Andy Bracek were on Saints' books. Danger man: Sean Long still possesses the trickery to trouble any defence. Form guide - Saints' last five competitive home games: Beat Leigh 60-16, beat Bradford 34-27, beat Wakefield 64-16, beat Salford 46-12, beat Huddersfield 34-24.