Warrington Wolves v Leeds Rhinos: Wounded Rhinos ready to rampage

Leeds Rhinos captain Kevin Sinfeld revealed the “shackles are off” tonight as they try to outrun prolific Warrington Wolves to reach Old Trafford.

Their qualifying semi-final opponents are massive 1-6 favourites to progress to next Saturday’s Super League Grand Final, astonishing odds given Leeds’s historic pedigree.

However, much of that is down to the manner in which ruthless Warrington have destroyed so many sides this year on the way to finishing top for the first time since 1973.

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With their free-flowing football and immense power up front, they became the first team to amass more than 1,000 points in the regular season since the Rhinos in 2005 – then led by current Wolves coach Tony Smith.

They have the meanest defence in the competition and swept past fourth-placed Huddersfield Giants 47-0 a fortnight ago to set up tonight’s encounter, seemingly pre-destined to reach their maiden Grand Final.

However, Leeds, despite finishing fifth and twice losing heavily to Warrington this year, believe they have the strike potential to deny the title favourites.

They will adopt a bold approach to do so and see no reason to be conservative in their style.

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“If we go there and play five drives and a kick, Warrington will put 60 points past us,” said the decorated Sinfield, who has led Rhinos to four Grand Final triumphs but always from a top-two position.

“The amount of points they’ve scored this year is phenomenal – I can’t remember a team being as dominant – but the shackles are off for us.

“I’m not saying we’ll go throw it around like basketball but why go there and have ifs, buts and maybes for the rest of year?

“Let’s go and ask some questions of them because if we don’t we’ll get the medicine that a lot of other teams have got there this year – another good hiding.

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“We need to go there and play, move them about, shift them around and try to tire them out.

“We feel if they get the best of us we can go there and win it.”

It is unusual for Leeds to be so unfancied but that is something which Sinfield and his colleagues are harnessing.

They may have suffered their worst placing since 2001, leaving many believing the side that recorded an unprecedented three successive Grand Final wins up to 2009 is a spent force.

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But they have saved their best for last and, since last month’s desperately unlucky Challenge Cup final loss to Wigan Warriors, have delivered four consecutive wins with increasing verve.

Sinfield, 31, admitted: “Nobody expects us to go there and win or win the Grand Final. You guys (the media) especially don’t expect us to get there.

“That’s the challenge that faces us but this team thrives on adversity. Hopefully, we can prove everyone wrong again.

“When we were down in ninth, a lot of people outside the camp didn’t expect is to be where we are now and many would be happy with this – to finish with a Challenge Cup final and be in Super League’s final four.

“But as a group of players it’s about winning trophies.

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“There’s no pressure on us. There was going into the latter end of the year where we could still secure fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh or eighth.

“But we just wanted to make sure we were in that eight and from that moment on the pressure has been off.”

Containing Warrington early on is the most difficult aspect given their propensity for thundering starts but Sinfield feels his side have the resilience to withstand that opening barrage.

“The start’s big in every game but certainly in play-offs,” said the England stand-off.

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“To build yourself a lead is important; we’ve seen so far with the play-offs every team that’s gone in front has stayed in front.

“We can come from a couple of scores down but we don’t want to be in that position if we can help it. We know Warrington come out of the blocks really, really well and are aggressive but if we’re there or thereabouts after 20 minutes we give ourselves a chance.”

Sinfield accepts there has been major low points this year, notably defeats at Hull KR and Catalan, when he was left “soul-searching” and “embarrassed” by his own performance.

“You can be depressed but you have to get yourself out of bed, drag yourself to training, roll your sleeves up and go again,” he said.

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“There’s no hiding place from it; in any other job if you have a bad day no one notices but when you’re a sports person it’s magnified and rubbed in your face.

“But that’s what we’re paid for and, hopefully, they’ll be the last low points of this year.”

St Helens and Wigan feature in tomorrow’s other semi-final.