CHALLENGE Cup finalists Huddersfield and Warrington go into their last Super League games before their Wembley showdown in contrasting moods. The Giants are relaxed about their trip to St Helens tonight and plan to field close to a reserve side in the knowledge that just a point from their last three matches of the regular season will be enough to secure a top-four finish. Warrington, on the other hand, are taking their home game this evening against Wakefield far more seriously as they seek to keep alive their fading play-off hopes. Huddersfield’s seven-match winning run came to a halt with Sunday’s home defeat by Bradford and they could lose third place to Hull KR if they lose and the Robins win at Salford this evening. The Giants’ assistant coach Paul Anderson admits a fourth-place finish would represent an outstanding achievement from a side that came third from bottom last year yet he insists the Cup finalists have not yet given up hope of bridging the four-point gap on St Helens and Leeds. “Whether we finish third or fourth is still acceptable from us,” said Anderson. “Obviously we want to keep on winning games.” Saints, who have twice let slip four-point leads over the Rhinos, now top the table only on points difference following Sunday’s defeat at Hull KR and they need to restore confidence ahead of their trip to Headingley in their next match. “It is now a case of aiming for a highest possible finish in the league and then the competition starts all over again in September,” said coach Mick Potter. Saints pair Sean Long and Keiron Cunningham could return tonight. Both players have been included in coach Mick Potter’s initial 19-man squad for the game at the GPW Recruitment Stadium. Scrum-half Long has not played since breaking his jaw in Saints’ defeat by Salford seven weeks ago. He was initially ruled out for eight weeks although he was pencilled in for a comeback which never happened against the Giants in the cup a fortnight ago. Cunningham missed last week’s defeat at Hull KR with a hamstring problem. Kyle Eastmond, Gary Wheeler, Bryn Hargreaves, Andrew Dixon and Chris Dean are not yet fit to return and remain on the sidelines with Maurie Fa’asavalu and Jason Cayless. Warrington have slipped out of the top eight after winning just one of their last five League games and their play-off hopes could hinge on the visit of sixth-placed Wakefield, who themselves have the chance to cement a top-eight spot. Assistant coach James Lowes has dubbed tonight’s match “a cup final” and admits the Wolves probably need to win all three remaining League matches to keep alive their hopes of a Wembley and Old Trafford double. He said: “We’ve put ourselves in that situation now where we need the points. “We are a bit reliant on other results as well.” | 
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