WARRINGTON Wolves coach Paul Cullen has told his troops to forget about making the play-offs unless they have the bottle to hit new heights.
With only four games left to play, it is crunch time at Wilderspool. Wolves have earned the 'right to be in the fight' but they must now go into uncharted territory according to Cullen.
He said: "To be lying in seventh spot is very respectable when you take into account that we avoided relegation by the skin of our teeth last year.
"The turnaround at this club has been remarkable and it has been down to the hard work and honesty we have forced through the veins of every player.
"But we are now at the business end of the season and we must kick on from here.
"We need to do something between now and the end of the season that we haven't done all year if we want to enhance our league position.
"By that I mean beating Leeds at the third time of asking or winning three games on the bounce. If we fail to do either of those things then we won't make the play-offs."
Cullen is expecting a Leeds backlash and the 'mother of all battles' tomorrow, Friday.
The Rhinos suffered a shock 28-20 defeat at The Jungle in their last outing and Cullen knows all about the positive energy that can be derived from a mauling.
Under his tutelage, Wolves have become the masters of responding well to disappointing displays.
Arch-rivals Widnes can vouch for that and Cullen was delighted with the way his players performed against them on Saturday.
But Leeds will provide a much tougher test at their Headingley home and it is a good job that Wolves go into the game at almost full strength.
They came through the Widnes game unscathed and Cullen is likely to name an unchanged team against Leeds despite the fact that full back Lee Penny and second rowers Mike Wainwright and Paul Noone are itching for a return to action.
Cullen said: "What we did against Widnes won't be good enough to beat Leeds.
"We have to come up with a better performance. We have to be more disciplined, patient and clinical because they are the second best side in the competition.
"They are a fast and skilful team and they are littered with world class players.
"They will also be keen to make a point after last week's defeat at Castleford.
"We are very wary and fearful of a Leeds backlash and we have to counter that."
Cullen concedes that Leeds will go into the game with a psychological advantage.
The Rhinos have come out on top in the sides' two previous meetings this season but Wolves were not easy pickings in either game.
Wolves' coach said: "We competed quite well on both occasions but in the end we were outfought and outthought. We have a serious task to put that right."
Wolves' game against Leeds will kick-off at 8pm.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article