Patton: Leeds have showed us it can be done

Warrington half-back Dec Patton says they will draw inspiration from champions Leeds this season.

The Wolves host the Rhinos in the Super League opener on Thursday night having ended 2017 in The Qualifiers, while Brian McDermott’s men went on to win the Grand Final at Old Trafford.

But 12 months ago, Leeds were in the same position as Warrington, having finished in the bottom four in 2016.

Patton said: “It shows it can be done. I think if you ask anyone who’s played in The Qualifiers they’ll say it’s not a nice feeling and it’s a lot of pressure on you.

“You’re not enjoying it because you can’t afford to lose and even though you’re like that every game, there’s just an extra pressure that you don’t want.

“We want to be playing in big games and in the finals. We’ve had a taste of the Grand Final as well, so most of us know what it’s like to play there.

“It’s a great way to start off the season. A win would give us a lot of confidence going in to the rest of the season.

“It’s going to be a tough game and I’m really looking forward to it.”

In 2016, Leeds won eight of their 23 regular season games to finish ninth in Super League, before winning six of their seven games in The Qualifiers.

They bounced back from that to win 20 of their 30 Super League games in 2017, going on to beat Castleford in the Grand Final.

Last year, Warrington won nine and drew two of their 23 games to finish ninth, going on to win all seven of their games in The Qualifiers.