Warrington Wolves are only 80 minutes away from realising their season-long ambition of running out at Old Trafford for the Super League Grand Final.
Wolves, who are 8/11 with bookmaker to win the Grand Final, will take on either Wigan Warriors or St Helens in the season finale – as long as they can defeat a resurgent Leeds Rhinos outfit on Friday.
Head coach Tony Smith did not take part in the ClubCall process, when the highest ranked team left in the play-offs chooses their opponents for the qualifying semi-finals.
The decision was instead made by chairman Steven Broomhead, who opted for the Rhinos after careful consideration, and club captain Adrian Morley insists his choice was not a foregone conclusion.
“I don’t think it was always on the cards. A lot of consideration went into it, although the fact that Leeds are the lowest-ranked side left in the competition probably did influence things. But they’re a side with threats everywhere and it’s going to be tough,” he said.