WARRINGTON Wolves are likely to fall short in their Super League semi-final at St Helens if they lose the battle of the packs, captain Chris Hill says.

The Wire have lost all three of their meetings with the League Leaders’ Shield winners in 2018, including a 34-14 defeat on home soil on September 22.

However, their last trip to the Totally Wicked Stadium has provided some cause for optimism.

Wolves were largely dominant up front when they visited their neighbours on July 27 but were beaten by a Danny Richardson penalty right on the full-time hooter.

The pack is an area in which some observers have said Warrington may have a slight advantage over Saints and Hill says it is crucial they make the most of that as well as being clinical when chances come.

“We were probably unlucky to lose there a few months back through that late penalty,” he said.

“That game doesn’t matter to us now. We’re ready to fly.

“Maybe they’ll feel the pressure of being at home. They are a polished side, though, and we expect them to deal with that.

“We have to bring that physicality up front, but that’s the same in every game.

“You don’t win many games if you lose the battle in the middle. They have a quality middle and we have to front up.

“We’ve been working hard on that in the past few weeks.

“It hasn’t just been this week, but we’ve been planning for it for some time leading up to this game.

“There will not be many chances on Thursday, so it’s important we take them when they come along.

“Whoever holds the ball and makes the most of those chances will win the game. It’s as simple as that.

“We’ll just concentrate on ourselves and let Saints worry about us.”

England international Hill has played in three Super League Grand Finals for The Wire – in 2012, 2013 and 2016 – and has lost on all three occasions.

However, he says those disappointments make him even more determined the return to the Theatre of Dreams this year.

“The intensity in training has gone up, as you can imagine,” he said.

“With any big week like this, with a big game at the end of it, that’s natural.

“We had a bit of a shorter turnaround from the Wakefield game, which can be tricky recovery wise but we’ve come out of it well and we’ll go flying into Thursday.

“Jon Clarke (head of performance) has done it perfectly all year in terms of managing workloads.

“Losing at Old Trafford is a killer, but it makes you more determined to go back there and turn it around.

“We’re 80 minutes away from it, but we’ll have to be at the top of our game to get there again.”