Warrington banking on Chris Bridge to end losing streak at St Helens

Chris Bridge will be Warrington's trump card when they make the trip to Knowsley Road for what they hope will be the last time tomorrow night aiming to end the most infamous losing run in the Super League in the first of the weekend's play-offs. The Wolves have not won at St Helens in 23 away games – including one that was switched to Anfield – since the old winter days of January 1994, but Bridge's recent return from a shoulder injury has given their coach, Tony Smith, even more selection options than he had ahead of the Challenge Cup final against Leeds two weeks ago, and with a tricky decision to make. Bridge, a surprise England selection during last autumn's Four Nations series who has unhappy personal memories of Knowsley Road having ruptured his achilles there three years ago, was the form centre in the first half of this season until conceding that his shoulder problem needed surgery that was expected to rule him out for the rest of the year. But the 26-year-old was cleared to return to training three weeks ago and although that was too late for him to be seriously considered for Wembley, he scored 20 of Warrington's points in a 36-22 win against Harlequins last Friday. "It's a bonus having Chris available again," said Smith, although he admitted that had meant "headaches and sleepless nights" this week as he considered whether to change the Wolves' winning Challenge Cup formula. Chris Riley would have been the most obvious man to drop out of Warrington's first-choice backline at the start of the season, with Matt King switching to the wing. But Riley was the Wolves' leading try-scorer with 25 in the league campaign, and inside him Ryan Atkins has also made himself hard to drop with impressive late-season form including two tries in their Wembley win against Leeds. St Helens are also spoilt for choice in the three-quarters, with the New Zealand centre Sia Soliola likely to have to settle for a place on the interchange bench following his surprise comeback from a long-term knee problem in last Saturday's dramatic win against Castleford, and Gary Wheeler squeezed out completely by Jamie Foster's goalkicking ability. But they have major problems at half-back, with Leon Pryce out for the season with a neck injury and Kyle Eastmond also missing this weekend after taking another bang to the hip last weekend. They recalled the former Everton trialist Matty Smith from a season-long loan at Salford this week and although Saints have downplayed the possibility of him making his first appearance of the year for the club it would be no surprise if he ends up starting in a makeshift partnership with Scott Moore. The losers of the game will have a second chance as their reward for finishing in the top four, while the winners will earn direct passage to, and home advantage in, the major semi finals in a fortnight. So defeat would leave Warrington at risk of having to return to their bogey ground again with a Grand Final place at stake. As their captain Adrian Morley says: "We want to win there this week, and make sure we don't have to go back." Wakefield Trinity have insisted that a winding-up order on the club that has been served by HM Revenue and Customs and is due to be heard at the high court on 22 September does not threaten their Super League future. Trinity said "the current action is simply a method of deciding [our] tax liabilities as there is a difference of opinion on the amount owed to HMRC by the club".Wakefield have had a number of off-field problems this season and today confirmed the release of six players including the former Hull and Hull KR stand-off Paul Cooke. ends...