Leeds wary of Wigan’s additional incentive to reach final

Defending champions Leeds will reach a sixth Grand Final in just seven seasons if they repeat last year’s Super League play-off semi-final win at the DW Stadium.

The West Yorkshire club are in confident mood after battling past St Helens last week, but they know their hosts will be intent on ensuring a suitable send-off for two of their famed performers.

England star Sam Tomkins announced this week he is making a world-record transfer to New Zealand Warriors at the end of the season while Australian winger Pat Richards is returning to Wests Tigers after a prolific seven-year stay at Wigan which saw him win Man of Steel in 2010.

“Wigan will be making a big thing of that,” admitted McDermott, who hopes to guide Leeds to a third successive title.

“They’ll want to send Sam off in such a big fashion. He’s been such a good servant to the team as has Pat Richards, who has been on of the best overseas signings this competition has had nevermind Wigan.

“Both Sam and Pat will want to have massive games on the night and have a huge influence over their performance.

“But I just think we’ll be facing a very, very determined Wigan regardless of any of that.”

Leeds’s previous visit to DW Stadium was just three weeks ago when they won 20-6 to secure third place, their highest finish under McDermott given they won their last two titles from fifth.

Invariably, though, this fixture brings the best out of both sides and it remains difficult to call.

“They certainly play the game in the right manner,” said McDermott, about the Challenge Cup holders.

“They have a crack and with us there’s the right mix there.

“In boxing people often talk about styles making a fight and you’ve got two different types of style in how Leeds and Wigan play.

“But when they meet they provide a fair amount of entertainment.”

McDermott hailed third place as “remarkable” given an unprecedented amount of injuries this term with second-rows Jamie Jones-Buchanan and Brett Delaney both battling to be fit for tonight.

But he added: “Not one of the group is by any stretch of the imagination thinking ‘haven’t we done well’.

“They are all as keen and hungry as ever.”