Wire chief executive on the Challenge Cup semi-finals and whether Hull coach Lee Radford needs to check his words...

NEXT weekend sees the Challenge Cup semi-finals at Bolton.

We took the most fans to the semi-final last year when we beat Leeds at the same venue.

So it would be fantastic to do the same this year when we take on Hull next Saturday, July 27.

It is going to be a very tough game.

Hull beat us last time and we beat them by a pretty big score earlier in the season (you better check with Lee Radford if it is ok to say that) so it will be a huge game with a lot at stake.

Going to Wembley is still a fantastic experience for our supporters.

As a child growing up, I was a Wigan fan so I was fortunate enough to get that experience on a pretty regular basis.

And I know that it never gets old.

We were fortunate enough to be there last year and despite it not being the right result on thte day, having that experience only makes you want to visit again as soon as possible and give supporters that experience.

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So we will need all the support we can get for that semi final and I am sure it will be the same for Hull.

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We are entering the business end of the season now.

We had an incredible game at the end of last month against St Helens.

The atmosphere was one of the best I can ever remember.

It was electric and the game did not disappoint either.

A number of players from both teams say that was the equivalent of an NRL game from Australia.

And it was everything we want to Super League to be on a regular basis – full stands and incredible commitment from both teams.

For neutrals and people who may not watch our sport every week, it was a fantastic advert.

Looking forward, we are getting to the end of the regular season.

We are now unlikely to get top spot because of how well St Helens have been doing.

However finishing in the top three gives you a distinct advantage as opposed to previous play-off systems used in Super League.

You get two bites of the cherry to reach the Grand Final.

And second gives you home advantage in the first game which is really critical.

Recruitment wise, we are still in the market for a couple of players for next season.

That is an ongoing process and we hope to have more news soon. We are reviewing players both here and in the NRL

Finally off the pitch it continues to be a positive picture.

Attendances are up 10 per cent on last season.

Hopefully that can continue for our final two home games of the regular season against St Helens and Wakefield Trinity.