LEEDS will welcome back injured stars Jake Connor, Lachy Miller, Ash Handley and Ryan Hall for their opening play-off against St Helens on Saturday.
All four were missing when champions Wigan beat the Rhinos at Brick Community Stadium on Friday night.
Utility Connor, who has since been named in the Super League Dream Team for the year, has been battling a rib injury. Fullback Miller was a calf, centre Handley a groin and winger Hall ribs.
“We had a lot of quality sitting in the grandstand tonight and that’s not an excuse,” coach Brad Arthur said after the defeat.
“We’re getting out of here injury free and we get four back next week.
“That whole left edge will be different again.
“Outside of Maika (Sivo)…. Cameron Smith … we should be close to our best team.”
Arthur was particularly impressed with Handley’s recovery.
“We probably didn’t think it was possible but our physios and high performance guys have done a really good job to get him right,” the former Parramatta boss said.
“But Ash has had to buy into it and push himself to get himself right as well. It just shows the want and the desire from him.”
Wigan have the week off but Arthur clearly doesn’t believe the Warriors and League Leaders Hull KR are in the driver’s seat.
“All the teams that are around us, we’ve beaten every one of them and we’ve been beaten in return as well.
“It just shows any team can win this comp – that’s what I believe anyway.”
WIGAN 22 (French 2 Wardle Miski tries Keighran 3 goals) bt LEEDS 6 (Hankinson try Sinfield goal) at Brick Community Stadium.
Teams:
WIGAN: Jai Field; Abbas Miski, Adam Keighran, Jake Wardle, Liam Marshall; Harry Smith, Bevan French; Liam Byrne, Brad O’Neill, Luke Thompson, Sam Walters, Liam Farrell, Kade Ellis. Res: Ethan Havard, Junior Nsemba, Patrick Mago, Kruise Leeming.
LEEDS: Chris Hankinson; Riley Lumb, Harry Newman, Kallum Watkins, Max Simpson; Jack Sinfield, Brodie Croft; Mikolaj Oledzki, Jarrod O’Connor, Cooper Jenkins, Morgan Gannon, James McDonnell, Keenan Palasia. Res: James Bentley, Sam Lisone, Tom Holroyd, Joe Shorrocks.