Warrington Wolves v Huddersfield Giants: Crabtree urges Giants side to stay calm in their Grand Final pursuit

It is a well-known fact that the league leaders have lost all three games against Warrington this term and, furthermore, the last eight meetings between the sides.

It is, therefore, hardly startling that they were picked in ClubCall for this Super League semi-final despite finishing the regular season in first.

Warrington defeated them in the 2009 Challenge Cup final and have been pretty dominant ever since, also knocking them out of that competition in three of the last four years.

As well, they jettisoned Huddersfield from the 2011 play-offs with an embarrassing 47-0 defeat at Halliwell Jones Stadium, scene of tonight’s much-anticipated tie.

The last encounter in July was particularly painful, too, when Paul Anderson’s side were swept aside 44-24, again at Warrington, during a sobering Challenge Cup quarter-final loss.

Their powerful and experienced hosts inflicted the damage early on, racing into a 20-0 lead inside just 25 minutes and leaving more question marks about the opponents’ ability to handle the big occasion.

But determined Huddersfield responded by winning their next five games to finish top for the first time since 1932.

Crabtree is adamant they can now secure a place in their maiden Grand Final and maintains there is no underlying mental issues forming any barrier.

“We’ve been in this position a few times and just got a bit carried away,” the England prop told the Yorkshire Post, with his side also having been out-played by Warrington in last season’s Challenge Cup semi-final.

“I think sometimes we’ve just been too full of enthusiasm but then not done the right things and sometimes that can happen.

“We’ll go in a bit more relaxed now and enjoy the occasion while making sure we do the small things right.

“I think we have just been guilty of getting too excited before.

“They are our bogey team and maybe that’s the reason they have chosen us.

“But I’d like to think we’re a different side to the one of the past.”

Crabtree, who turns 31 on Wednesday, knows his colleagues can ill-afford to make any of the same mistakes again.

Warrington out-muscled them last time, capitalised almost on every error and also did what most teams have failed to do this term – stop Danny Brough from kicking them to death.

“We were disappointed in ourselves as we never gave ourselves a chance,” he continued.

“No one minds losing against a better team if you play your best yourselves but we didn’t.

“We put ourselves in that position back then.

“We’ve got to change that this time. We have to put in a good performance and give ourselves an actual chance of beating Warrington.

“Hopefully we can put things right. Warrington went on and messed up in the Challenge Cup so they’ll be seeing this as a chance to rectify that but we’ve got a good opportunity here to break some records of our own.”

Crabtree, who is nearing 300 games for his hometown club, added: “To reach a Grand Final would be a dream come true for me.

“There’s a lot of work to be done before that happens but there is less pressure on us going into the game because everybody seems to have written us off.

“We have beaten pretty much everyone this season, apart from Warrington.

“But in each game against them, it’s not been a case of them being better than us, it is us who have made the mistakes.

“We know that if we go there and play the way we can play, then we stand a good chance of winning the game.

“This is a massive opportunity to show that we can play on the big stage, in the big games.”

And Huddersfield do have that experience; they won a play-off tie at Warrington in 2010 when Crabtree came off the bench on a memorable evening.

That took them to the last four when they lost out at St Helens but there is certainly a greater belief among this current, maturing Huddersfield side.

Finishing top with 21 wins from 27 games – and a point clear of second-placed Warrington – has undoubtedly reminded them of their quality.

The opening play-off loss at home to Wigan Warriors was a setback but encouragingly they responded in style when last week’s 76-18 mauling of Hull FC clearly showcased vast attacking class.

“Winning the League Leaders’ Shield was the perfect preparation for the play-offs,” added Crabtree, one of five Huddersfield players in Super League’s Dream Team.

“We have been consistent all season and it has helped that we have had very few injuries.

“It was nice to pick up some silverware, it has given the lads a taste for it and we all enjoyed it. We have definitely got the momentum, although the Hull game wasn’t at all what we expected.

“We did expect it to be much tougher and we didn’t play especially well, but it was nice to go and score a lot of points. Now it is all about Thursday.”

Anderson has named an unchanged squad, with full-back Scott Grix and forward Ukuma Ta’ai expected to recover from knocks picked up in the Hull win.

Warrington are also at full strength with England scrum-half Richie Myler hoping to end a two-month absence after knee issues.

It would be a massive call, however, for Wolves coach Tony Smith to include a player in such a pivotal position in a game of such obvious importance.

Australian full-back Brett Hodgson, the wily veteran who won Man of Steel when at Huddersfield Giants in 2009, returns after missing the play-off win over Leeds Rhinos with an Achilles problem.