Cockayne targets Super League play-offs with Wakefield Wildcats

Wildcats are three points off the top-eight with a game in-hand, against St Helens at the Rapid Solicitors Stadium on Sunday (kick-off 3.30pm).

And with four league games to go in 2012, against Saints, play-off rivals Hull KR and teams below them in the table in Widnes Vikings and Salford City Reds, Cockayne believes Wakefield are hitting form at just the right time for a play-off push.

"There's an outside chance. If you look at the run-in we've got you would say we've got a big chance but then again that's all out of hands really because the teams above us have got a bit of a leg up on us," he said.

"But if we can just perform each week and pick a few more wins up then we've always got a chance."

He continued: "I think Hull KR, besides what will happen this weekend, will be an absolutely massive one. If we can get the win this weekend then it'll give us a great chance of making the top-eight. But I think the Hull KR one will be a big one for us."

Wildcats go into Sunday's clash with Saints in a good run of form and looking to make it four wins on the spin for the first time this season.

Cockayne, joint top try-scorer for Wakefield so far this season alongside Peter Fox with 12, believes that can be accomplished but is well aware of the threat the Langtree Park club pose.

"I think we've got to be confident after the recent results we've had," he commented.

"We've had three big wins really. We've had our derby win and obviously Huddersfield and Leeds who are in the top eight. So we're on a bit of a roll at the minute and if we can come out firing and continue as we have been I think we're in with a good chance.

"I'm sure any team that plays against us between now and the rest of the year are going to be a bit wary of us because we're hitting a bit of form and we're playing some good stuff so I think we're a threat to anyone at the moment."

He added: "Saints are always a massive threat. They can damage you just in the blink of an eye, they've got that much quality so it'll be a really big test for us and one we'll look forward to."

Wakefield lost the reverse clash at Langtree Park 38-12 in May but Cockayne believes St Helens will be up against a much-improved Wildcats team this time around.

"We've been enjoying ourselves all year, we've got a good bunch of blokes who work hard for each other and we all get on so well it's unbelievable and it's starting to bare fruit now," he said.

"It was always going to be tough this year anyway with it being a brand new team put together and as time goes along you get to know eaxch other better, you get to know what you're going to do on the pitch that bit better and it's maybe taken a bit longer than we'd like but we're hitting form at the right time."

See this week's Wakefield Express for all the latest Wakefield Trinity Wildcats news.