A CHANGE of mentality is needed if The Wire are to shake off the problems that have blighted their 2018 season, head coach Steve Price says.

Wolves travel to Catalans Dragons tomorrow, kick off 5pm UK time, aiming to bounce back from their heaviest defeat of the campaign this far, Friday’s 30-12 loss to St Helens.

Price’s side were heavily penalised once again at The Halliwell Jones Stadium and Saints ruthlessly took advantage to leave The Wire eighth in the Super League table.

Saturday’s trip to Perpignan sees them take on a side who currently sit bottom of the pile, but Price says his players need to deal with pressure situations better.

“It’s a really important game against Catalans this weekend. We have to play to our standards,” he told the Guardian.

“The big thing is being able to execute our attacking shape and do it more so under pressure.

“On the flip side, there has been a lot more contact and defensive work this week.

“We’d love to be a bit higher than where we are at the moment and we understand what’s letting us down. It’s a matter of being able to do it in a pressure situation.

“We’ve been applying that pressure in training, but at the same time we have to change our mentality.

“When something does go wrong, we can’t double it up.

“We fully understand where our penalties are coming from. We know how we can fix it, but it’s about having the attitude to actually do it out on the pitch.

“Once we get that out of our game and eliminate our errors, it gives us more of an opportunity to play the sort of football that we’ve practiced.”

Price will be able to call upon Bryson Goodwin once again after he recovered from a knee injury.

Mike Cooper is also available having passed a head test, as is fellow prop Sitaleki Akauola after he completed a one-match suspension.

However, Ryan Atkins will miss out on the trip to France having picked up an abductor muscle strain during the St Helens game.

The Wire fly out to Perpignan on Saturday morning and return immediately after the final hooter, an approach Price says will help their preparations for future games.

He also believes Catalans’ league position cannot be dwelled upon.

“A lot of teams are doing the “fly in, fly out” approach for trips to Catalans now. It does aid your recovery for the following week,” he said.

“We just got to get on with it and get our heads around it. Hopefully it’s going to be a bit dryer over there.

“With a Friday game the following week, it’s important for us to get as much recovery as possible and that will help that.”

“I don’t look at where they’re sitting at the moment, I look at what they can bring on Saturday.

“They are a big team and they have a fair amount of offload in them. It’s important that we’re doing a really good job around that area.”

Meanwhile, it was announced yesterday, Wednesday, that Wire half-back Kevin Brown has retired from international duty.

The 33-year-old had been named in England’s elite performance squad last week but quits the team having won 10 caps for his country.