LEEDS Rhinos coach Brian McDermott admits there would be no better way for the Super League champions to kick-start their disastrous season than with victory over Wigan in a repeat of the 2015 Grand Final.

The Rhinos, who included the league leaders' shield as part of their treble last season, remain rooted to the foot of the table after losing 11 of their 14 matches so far, including a demoralising 28-6 defeat by the Warriors in March.

Leeds' fortunes hit a new low with a 52-12 home defeat by Castleford, a week after crashing out of the Challenge Cup, and McDermott says he has been forced to once more re-set his aims as he prepares for the Magic Weekend showdown with Wigan.

"We've changed one or two things but we've been doing that since rounds two and three," McDermott said. "We've been adapting each week.

"After what was a really disappointing performance against Cas, you've got to look at what we do and look at what are are trying to achieve and re-evaluate those things, which is always difficult mid-season.

"To beat Wigan would be a boost for us."

Wigan captain Sean O'Loughlin fully expects the fallen champions to emerge from their slump but is hoping it is not at the expense of his side.

"Obviously they've not been going well but we're coming off the back of two Super League losses as well so neither of us are in the best form," O'Loughlin said. "Both teams are desperate for a win.

"They're wounded at the minute but you only have to look at the quality they've still got in their side. I don't think they're too far away and, when they do click, they can kick on for the season. We don't want to be the team that kick-starts it for them."

Despite back-to-back defeats, Wigan remain within touching distance of the leaders in a congested top half of the table in which two points separate the top six.

"Nobody has gripped it yet," O'Loughlin said. "We still feel it's wide open for the top spot."

The Grand Final re-match will bring down the curtain on day one of the 10th Magic Weekend at St James' Park.

Salford and Widnes kick off the two-day extravaganza at 2.30pm, followed by Warrington's clash with Castleford, who are hoping they have turned the corner with their nine-try triumph at Headingley.

The Wolves remain top on points difference despite their surprise defeat at Wakefield last Sunday and captain Chris Hill concedes they are still striving for consistency.

"We're not really looking at the table, we just need to get back to playing some consistent rugby like we were at the beginning of the year," Hill said.

"Cas are playing really well. They've really brought it back round so it's going to be a tough encounter."

Salford have so far clawed back just two of the six points they were docked for breaching the salary cap but vice-captain Michael Dobson says they remain confident they can climb out of the bottom four at the expense of Saturday's opponents Widnes, who are in freefall after losing their last seven matches.

"That makes them very dangerous," Dobson said. "It makes it a must-win for them and for us every game is a must-win if we want to get into the eight.

"We're only six points off eighth spot and that's Widnes so, if we can knock them off this week, it's down to four so it's not out of the equation."

The Vikings' Joe Mellor is hoping the potential return of his half-back partner and captain Kevin Brown, who has missed five of those seven losses, can help the one-time leaders stop the rot.

"Because we started the season so well, it's hard to take, but we're training hard and putting in good performances without getting results," Mellor said ."We've just got to keep working hard because that's the only way we're going to get out of this bad run.

"Hopefully Kev will be back this week and we can get back to what we were doing at the start of the season."

Brown is one of just five players to have appeared in all nine previous Magic Weekends and scored a hat-trick of tries in the Vikings' 38-16 win over Salford at St James' Park last year.