Vikings aim to get back on right track

WIDNES Vikings will look to get their Championship season back on track when they entertain Leigh on Good Friday.

Simon Finnigan’s men made a superb start to the season, winning their first four – but since then they have struggled to recapture the form of their opening fixtures.

Injuries haven’t helped and they head into Friday’s clash without captain Jack Owens, Danny Craven, Ryler Dupree, Aaron Brown, Ollie Brookes and Jake Spedding. Shane Grady and Levy Nzoungou are on track with their recovery from their respective injuries but whether they are ready to face Leigh remains to be seen.

The club moved to alleviate their injury crisis by signing Wigan Warriors prop forward Ramon Silva on an initial two-week loan deal.

Brazilian-born Silva joins having been with Wigan since November last year, previously playing for London Broncos.

The 20-year-old operates primarily as a prop forward, but can also play in the second row.

Silva has a background in martial arts and started playing rugby league at age 15, when he was picked up for London before joining Wigan last year.

He will be in contention to face Leigh Centurions in the Good Friday clash.

Meanwhile, halfback Matty Smith spoke to the club’s official website about the need to strike a balance between strong attack and defence ahead of the clashes against the likes of Leigh and Batley.

“We started the season really well in our first four games but we’ve had a bit of a dip and we just need to keep working hard and keep going,” he said.

“They (Leigh and Batley) are teams you have got to defend well against. They are good attacking sides so defensively we need to be on it, and when we get our defence right our attack flows.

“Against Newcastle our defence was good but there were too many soft errors, too many cold drops. Whether it’s a concentration thing or not, we just need to fix it up.

“I’m sure we’ll do that, we need to stay positive – we have a good group here, we had a good start and I know we haven’t performed well in the last couple of weeks but we just need to stick together and I’m sure it will turn.

“The team spirit is great. I know we’ve had a tough few weeks but you walk into the dressing room and everyone is upbeat, everyone wants to do their job and get on with it and look forward to the next game.

“That’s what you want – it’s tough at the minute, we’ve had a few tough defeats but you don’t want to dwell on it too much.

“There’s no harder game than Leigh and we’ve just got to focus on that.”*