ALL year, Sam Burgess has been keen to emphasise how proud his Warrington Wolves players are to represent their town and community.

Now, as their campaign comes to the crunch, he has issued a plea to supporters to show some love back by packing out The Halliwell Jones Stadium for tomorrow’s play-off eliminator against St Helens.

A large crowd would buck the trend given home play-off games, which are not included in memberships although discounts are offered to season card holders, have been poorly attended in the recent past.

Their last home play-off game – against Hull KR in September 2021 – was watched by a crowd of just over 6,000 while the 2019 eliminator loss to Castleford was watched by just 5,627 people.

Indications are that Saturday's crowd will far exceed both of those figures but with a large travelling support expected to back Saints at the weekend, Burgess has called upon the people of Warrington to help his side make full use of home advantage.

> CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR TICKETS FOR TOMORROW'S BIG GAME

“As a town, we’ve got to get behind this team on Saturday,” he said.

“We’ve really enjoyed representing our town and our community this year, and this is the time of year that we really need their support.

“I really hope we can fill the stadium out and create a magnificent atmosphere.

“It’s a game not to miss – I think everyone’s enjoyed the way we’ve played this year, so it’s time to come down.

“We’re certainly excited. We’ve earned the right to be here, to be excited and to be confident about what we’re going to put out on the field.

“We’re coming off a good block of work as well, but we know we’re going to get a good test against Saints.”

Home advantage is not the only thing that seems to be stacked in Warrington’s favour on Saturday – against a side they have already beaten three times in 2024 and finished 10 points clear of in the final table, The Wire have been installed as overwhelming favourites.

As the age-old rugby league saying goes, however, “never write off the Saints,” and Burgess is certainly wise to what the club that has won four of the past five Super League titles can bring.

“Over the past five years, they’ve probably been the most dominant force in play-offs having won four titles,” he said.

“We know we’re up against a team that’s very experienced at this time of year, so we’ll double down on our work, get back to the drawing board and make sure we get our game right.

“They’ve got most of their players back on deck, they had a week together last week and they looked more like the Saints we know.

“They’ve battled all year with injuries and they’ve hung in there well to make the finals.

“We’re expecting a better version of them at the weekend, but we’re happy it’s that way.”

For Burgess and his players, it is another chance to break down a barrier that has proved insurmountable for the club in recent history.

Not since their memorable 2018 semi-final win over Saints have they won a Super League play-off game, with their four post-season campaigns since then all ending in a first-hurdle exit.

Furthermore, it gives them a chance to show what they have learned from their failings in the last game they played with everything on the line – the heartbreaking Wembley loss to Wigan Warriors in June.

“Wembley gave us great experience in a big game with more on the line. It helped them understand more about what’s important,” he said.

“That goes for me as a coach as well – I learnt a lot that week that I’ll use over the next three weeks.

“It’s only a great thing for us – the players are more experienced in those bigger games.”