NRL TEAMS - 2024 Round 4
3 days ago | LeagueUnlimited Media
Bradford coach Brian Noble insists he can turn around his side?s disastrous start to the Engage Super League season, starting with Friday?s testing clash with Wigan.
The Bulls go to the JJB Stadium, where the Warriors have not lost for 19 months, on the back of their worst start to a season for 23 years.
Their opening home defeat by Wakefield was followed by last Sunday?s shock setback at Widnes but Noble quickly dismissed talk of a crisis.
?By our own admission we have not performed very well and we are not helping ourselves with some of the things we are doing, such as dropping the ball early in the tackle count and conceding needless penalties,? said Noble.
?But we can fix those things up and hopefully turn the corner.
?We are all disappointed with what has happened but we have been in this position before in different guises and at different times of the year over the last four or five years and come through it and I am pretty confident we will again.
?We have had some disruption with the weather this week but we are going into the game well prepared and ready for it.?
Wigan coach Denis Betts expects the 2003 champions to bounce back, but is hoping it is not tomorrow.
?I was surprised by their latest defeat,? he said.
?I wasn?t surprised by their result in the first week because Wakefield are always going to be tough, as we found out.
?It was a strange game last weekend. You always expected Bradford to get going with the quality they have got in their team. But they never seemed to get going and Widnes wouldn?t let them get going.
?Brian Noble will be saying to them this week that they?re one good win away from getting their season started and what better place to do that than at the JJB Stadium??
The Bulls, who brought forward their final training session to Wednesday night in view of the anticipated heavy snowfall, have received a timely boost as they seek to avoid equalling their worst Super League run of three successive defeats set in 1998, the year they finished fifth.
Full-back Michael Withers, who has proved to be a talismanic figure in his six seasons with the club, will make his first appearance since suffering a leg injury in October?s Grand Final defeat.
Bradford also welcome back prolific winger Lesley Vainikolo, who was a tryscorer in his side?s last win at Wigan almost two years ago.
?It?s great to see them running round in practice because they are both very big players for us and we are a much better side when they are playing,? said Noble.
Wigan give a debut to France international back-rower Jerome Guisset and welcome back winger Brett Dallas and prop Danny Sculthorpe from injury.
The Warriors have won only one of their last five away matches but they have not lost at the JJB Stadium since July 2003, a 24-game run that includes two draws.
Both sides have announced their 18-man squads for their Friday night meeting with Withers set to feature.
Wigan v Bradford, JJB Stadium, Friday February 25th
Wigan 18-man squad: Radlinski, Dallas, Wild, Vaealiki, Aspinwall, Orr, Moran, Seu Seu, Newton, Guisset, Hock, Tickle, O?Loughlin, Brown, Sculthorpe, Godwin, Beswick, Allen.
Bradford 18-man squad: Pratt, Deacon, Vagana, Fielden, Harris, Johnson, Langley, Lynch, Meyers, Parker, Paul, Peacock, K. Pryce, Vainikolo, L. Pryce, Radford, Reardon, Withers.
Thanks to http://www.superleague.co.uk for another top article.