The Easter period begins in the Super League at the Select Security Stadium in Widnes on Thursday night when the Widnes Vikings take on their rivals Warrington Wolves in the tradition Easter derby.
Both sides have made poor starts to the season so there isn’t just bragging rights up for grabs here but two vital Super League points which will add to what was already a competitive fixture.
Widnes Vikings
It has been an awful start to the season with just one win in the campaign so far for the Widnes Vikings although going into the season most judges expected them to struggle so this start hasn’t come as a surprise to many. Even so as much as it looked a tough season they would have wanted to do better than they have been.
The key reason for their difficult start to the season has been their defence, or lack of it. That is something that is going to have to improve else they will soon be preparing for having to negotiate the middle 8s to retain their Super League status and no side wants to be going through that if they are given the choice.
Warrington Wolves
The start to the campaign for the Warrington Wolves had been no better than Widnes’ one. They had lost six on the bounce to start the season but they have now picked up a draw and a win from their last two matches and there is a feeling that finally their season has kicked into life. That will be their hope anyway.
A win over a half decent Leeds side last week was all the more surprising as the Wolves were without Kevin Brown although Dec Patton put in an excellent performance so he wasn’t missed. Warrington will be looking to build on their attack from that match and climb the table not just to safety but as far as they can go.
Team News
Joe Mellor is likely to make a first start of the campaign after he has returned from a knee injury while Chris Dean could make his comeback in this game too.
Former Widnes captain Kevin Brown will be absent against his old side with injury. Mike Cooper is another one on the sidelines while Ben Westwood begins a suspension in this match.
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Betting
Warrington are being asked to give up 12pts in this match but that seems a little on the high side to me. That said the way Widnes have defended this season I’m not completely sure I’d want to be on them to stay within a dozen.
In fairness both the handicap line and the points line looks about right so this isn’t one which is easy to bet on. If either were in real form it would be easier but they are not so I’m going to keep my powder dry for the rest of the Easter period.
Tips
No Bet
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