BETTS ON BATTLING BACK

Widnes v Hull FC, 7.45pm

DENIS BETTS has urged injury-plagued Widnes to start winning games to ease their anxiety.

The Vikings have seen a promising start derailed by five defeats in six amid the kind of injury crisis that dominated their 2017 campaign. Their luck was summed up in Saturday’s defeat at Hull KR, when Danny Craven, Gil Dudson, Wellington Albert and debutant Keanan Brand were all forced off to leave them without subs for almost half an hour.

They have joined longterm absentees Patrick Ah Van, Lloyd White, Krisnan Inu, Stefan Marsh and Hep Cahill on the Vikings’ treatment table. Following the tragic death of close season signing Kato Ottio in January, Betts (right) has had to face adversity from the off.

He said: “It’s well documented what happened with Kato, then I lost Patrick Ah Van in the first game of the season with a broken arm, Krisnan Inu and Keanan with broken legs and Jay Chapelhow with a broken thumb. We’ve had a couple of concussions with Chris Dean and now Danny Craven. We’ve created some anxiety in ourselves now and need to win some games to ease that.”

Chris Dean and MacGraff Leuluai are set to return but Betts admits his side face a tough task against Hull FC, adding: “They’re a top-four side. It doesn’t get easier.”