Wane: The table doesn't come into it

A victory would help fifth-placed Wigan keep within touching distance of a top-four spot.

But defeat could see them drop to sixth - and leave them five points adrift of a play-offs position.

Wane, though, insists he won’t look at the league table before or after their headlining clash with Warrington at Newcastle’s St James’ Park.

He said: “I never look at it the same way as you guys do.

“The way I see it, a lot of Wigan people have spent a lot of money to travel to Newcastle, it’s a big stadium, a lot of people will be watching us, it’s Wigan against Warrington... I want us to perform.

“So regardless of what happens in the league table, I don’t even know where we are. I just want to make sure we’re prepared and play as well as we can, and challenge Warrington.” The Magic Weekend sees all round 14 fixtures played at the same venue over one weekend.

The season splits after round 23 into the Super-8s phase and, after seven additional rounds, the top-four battle it out for Grand Final spots.

“We’ll get what we deserve if we just focus week to week on each game,” continued Wane.

Wigan beat Warrington 38-16 earlier this season but Tony Smith has turned around their early-season slump, guiding them to six wins from their past seven games. Wane said: “Warrington are playing with more vigour, testing teams, they have some great talent and some exciting players.”

He is looking to preserve his own perfect Magic record – little surprise he is a fan of the concept, which may be moved to a new ground from next year.

Wane added: “I think Magic is great, and as a club we embrace these events – we’re spending three days there and we get a lot from it.

“I’ve liked all the venues, I love Newcastle, it’s a fantastic stadium, but I’d also like to go somewhere new.”