Stevo says that the clash between Wigan and Warrington could be a dress rehearsal for the Grand Final!
Warriors and Wolves clash in 3D!
You could not wish for a more interesting start to the weekend than Wigan v Warrington - the table toppers against last year's champions.
Wigan have to start as favourites after their display against Huddersfield with six of their major players out. They were remarkable, especially in defence.
They have some of their players back but the biggest boost that Wigan coach Michael McGuire has is the return of Brett Finch. He will probably start on the bench but when he comes on - well this kid is special and he will give them an extra dimension in attack.
Finch is a very smart player and while he may not be the quickest he is a thinker and will keep the Warrington defence on their toes. He is always looking to do something different.
Josh Charnley has also been a revelation for Wigan. He is only 19 years old and has just exploded onto the scene. He has got good speed, is a great finisher and just shows the strength of this Wigan outfit.
Warrington have improved and after a slow start they're starting to hit their straps. They have some special players to in Lee Briers, Michael Monaghan and his brother Joel. They have a very good balanced team and a strong all-round game. Richie Myler is playing some great rugby too - it has taken him awhile to settle down but it looks like he is finally finding his feet.
Warrington scored 82 points against Harlequins last week and I will be interested to see how that affects them. It was more of a training run than a game and they need to be careful not to take Wigan too lightly; I don't think they will, but sometimes it is hard to get out of that mindset.
They need to be hard and make sure their forwards set up a platform for them. They need to go back to the hard graft. The one thing about playing Wigan is that you don't get many scoring opportunities and when you do then you need to take them!
Wigan will score points, there is no question about that, so you need to take your chances and put them under pressure.
STAR MAN: Wigan's Sean O'Loughlin to me has been the springboard for everything good this year. He has really come of age and has stepped up. His defence is solid and last week he was forced from loose forward to stand off and he handled that very well. It would not surprise me if McGuire moved him into taking control at Standoff - even if he was selected as loose forward. I think he'll take on that stand-off style, take on the defence and get this three-quarters going.
STEVO SAYS: This to me could be the rehearsal for the Grand Final. These two sides are so far ahead at the moment. I'm not counting out St Helens yet but these are the two teams setting the pace. If I had to pull my wallet out though I would say Wigan will win this - but only just!
