IT has been another weird season but finally, we are approaching the business end.

With five games of the regular Super League season to go, Warrington Wolves cannot afford any further slip-ups.

Whatever your thoughts on the circumstances around why last week’s clash with Catalans Dragons was postponed, it did not aid The Wire’s cause one bit.

Overhauling the Frenchmen at the top of the table now appears unlikely but catching St Helens and securing a crucial top-two spot is still achievable.

Finish second and the equation is simple – win one play-off game at home and a spot at Old Trafford is secure.

For third? An eliminator – and we all know the struggles The Wire have had in those recently – and if that is negotiated successfully, a trip to the second-placed side (likely Saints) for a place at the big dance.

I know which route I’d prefer and I am certain Steve Price and his squad are of a similar persuasion, but of course it is much easier said than done.

To put it plainly, Warrington first need all five of their matches to go ahead – not a foregone conclusion as we have come to discover – and they probably need to win them all.

But if they can emerge from this double game weekend unscathed, which would encompass a win over Saints on Bank Holiday Monday of course, they would really be breathing down their neighbours’ necks.

Two victories in the coming days would put Wolves’ win percentage at 72.22.

If Kristian Woolf’s men see off bottom side Leigh Centurions as expected tonight but lose at The Halliwell Jones Stadium on Monday, theirs would be 77.78 per cent.

The Wire would still need to hope for a slip-up down the line, but the pressure would certainly be turned up.

Now, we will truly see if this group have learned anything from the past two seasons.

Last year and in 2019, Warrington stumbled towards the finishing line with no real momentum and as a result, their play-off campaigns were ended disappointingly at the first hurdle.

At the very least, they need to roll into the end-of-season shake-up in good form even if they are consigned to a longer road to Manchester.

The squad have shown they are more than capable – after all, they have not lost to any of the current top six this year (albeit having played all but Wigan only once) – but now is the real test of whether they can make it stick when it really matters.