KYLIE Leuluai says the success of the new coaching set-up at Warrington Wolves has impacted on the performances of players.

Only nine months after a regime change, The Wire have one hand on the Challenge Cup and are set for a place in the play-offs on the back of a disappointing final year under Tony Smith.

Leuluai, a highly decorated former Leeds Rhinos player, has seen the work at first hand after joining head coach Steve Price along with assistant coaches Andrew Henderson and Lee Briers at the start of pre-season as head of rugby operations.

“We get on well, enjoy what we’re doing, and I think that rubs off on the players,” said the 40-year-old New Zealander, who played in six Grand Finals, five Challenge Cup Finals and five World Club Challenge matches over 11 seasons at Headingley.

“We love being involved with sport, this club and this team.

“Whichever club we’ve been at we’ve all been successful.

“We know how to run it, what works, and what works for players in bringing in a good club culture, setting standards and expectations of each other.”

He added: “We’ve always aspired to be the best we can with our craft and that’s exactly what we’re trying to do here.

“So far so good, we’ve got on well as a coaching team and it really helps getting the formula right and making sure everyone gets on well.

“I’m a big believer in self confidence and belief. And I believe if you get the chemistry right, a team that’s willing to work hard for each other and with a good structure in place there’s no reason why you can’t be successful.”

It has been a particularly busy period for Leuluai with all the team’s Wembley preparations as well as moving to Warrington from Leeds over the past fortnight with his wife and three children – after accepting defeat to the M62 commute!

He said: “Until you’re here, on the other side of the fence, you don’t really appreciate the work that gets put in by the backroom staff and all those with administrative roles.

“It’s very busy, it’s a lot to take on.”

He is in place to support his former Balmain Tigers teammate Price and the rest of the performance team.

“My role is to make sure everything is in sync, not just across the players and coaches but with the administration of the club too, making sure we’re all on the same page and singing the same song,” he said.

“You have to make sure everything’s running smoothly.”

Allhis big-match experience leaves Leuluai believing the Wire players’ perfect preparation for the cup final is to keep on doing what’s been working.

“There’s nothing different I’d say to the players to how they’ve prepared themselves this year,” he said.

“They’ve trained really hard on the pitch throughout the weeks, they’ve enjoyed each other’s company, they’ve come close together and built a lot of trust.

“Being able to get to the final this time around hasn’t come from me or anything Steve Price has put in place, it’s come down to them wanting to do this and making something of the year at this club.

“I know the club was hugely disappointed with how last year went. Hopefully they can make amends.

“We only have one hand on the cup though and we’re playing against a big, strong Catalans side who are full of confidence. We’re under no illusions.”

Leuluai lost in 2010 and 2012 finals against Warrington, 2011 against Wigan before enjoying success with Leeds against Castleford in 2014 and Hull KR in 2015, the latter as part of a coveted treble.

The powerhouse clattered into Brett Hodgson with a thunderous tackle at a key stage of the 2012 decider but the Wire full-back recovered and went on to win the Lance Todd Trophy.

Leuluai, while laughing, said: “I didn’t do the job properly, because he carried on playing.”

He added: “We tried our hardest in that game but couldn’t match Warrington.

“2010 was my first year at Wembley. We’d just come off the 2007, 2008, 2009 Super League titles, so we were very confident with what we could do but we got shellshocked.

“I had some great mates in that 2010 Warrington Wolves team, so I was pleased for them – Dave Solomona, Michael Monaghan and Chris Hicks, all great friends of mine.

“I was really happy for them. I’d tasted success with the Super League, so I had a bit of humility there.

“And then in the loss to Wigan in 2011 my cousin Tommy played for Wigan, so I was happy for him.

“Out of the three, the loss in 2012 was the easiest to take because I’d become immune to losing in the Challenge Cup.

“But they were all great experiences.

“We played Castleford in 2014, and it was just huge relief to win one.”