Warrington Wolves head coach on Challenge Cup semi final

However, leading his side out there for the third and final time is far from head coach Steve Price’s mind.

In order to secure one last shot at Wembley glory for their head coach, The Wire have one final hurdle to clear as Castleford Tigers lie in wait in the Challenge Cup semi-finals this afternoon.

Price’s side are in good form and will be heavily favoured against a Tigers side they convincingly saw off 38-14 in Super League a fortnight ago.

However, Wolves need only look to the season’s opening day and a 21-12 loss to the same opposition to know how dangerous the side led by their incoming head coach Daryl Powell can be.

“I’m not even thinking about Wembley,” Price insisted.

“I’m just really focused on preparing the boys as best I can and an 80-minute performance on Saturday. You can’t be looking too far ahead.

“We’ve got to keep growing. We have to stay ahead of the game and keep that solid rhythm and momentum the boys have been showing building.

“They’re a quality football team and have a number of really good individual players. We still haven’t forgotten about Round One, either.

The Wire were beaten 21-12 by Castleford on the opening day of the 2021 season. Picture by PA Wire

“We certainly won’t be underestimating them – we’re going to have to be at our best.

“We’ve looked back at Round One and identified a few things. I’d like to think the things we didn’t do so well that day we can do much better on Saturday.

“There’s good things we’ve done against Castleford in the recent past and I hope we can exploit that too.

“It’s about continued improvement. What happened in the past has gone.

“We’re expecting a real tough game. It’s knockout footy and they have a number of quality players coming back.”

The Wire will have to do without forward Jason Clark, who is ruled out with the calf injury he suffered during last Thursday’s 62-18 thrashing of Salford Red Devils.

Clark is expected to miss around a month of action and he joins longer-term absentees Greg Inglis (hamstring) and Matty Ashton (ankle) in the treatment room.

Aside from those three, Price has a fully fit and available squad to choose from, with props Mike Cooper and Joe Philbin set to feature at Leigh Sports Village after shaking off knocks sustained before and during the Salford game.

> Check out how both 21-man squads are looking ahead of today's game

Meanwhile, Powell is set to welcome back several of his big guns for the game.

Skipper Michael Shenton and key half-back Jake Trueman are set to return along with Oliver Holmes, Nathan Massey and Adam Milner.

“We just want to win every game – or try to, anyway,” Price said.

“We enjoy knockout footy as a club and we enjoy playing in the Challenge Cup.

“It’s a quality cup and there’s a lot of great history about it.”