Bulls travel to Salford, resurgent
Wakefield play Wigan, Leigh face daunting game against St Helens

Official English Super League Round 22 previews -Friday games. Salford v Bradford, Wigan v Wakefield and Leigh v St Helens.

Salford look for revenge

Salford have a chance to avenge their worst defeat of the season when they take on Bradford at The Willows on Friday.

The Reds crashed to a 58-0 home defeat by the Bulls two months ago and, after conceding another half-century of points at Leeds last Friday, need to find a dramatic improvement.

"Obviously we need a response," said coach Karl Harrison. "We were very poor in the first half at Leeds but we played very well in the second half. We?ve got to try to put two halves together.

"We?ve seven games left and we?ve a real good chance of winning a lot of them. We?re still looking at that sixth spot."

Salford recall threequarter Junior Langi after a two-match absence as they look to complete a third successive home win.

Bradford have recalled threequarter Karl Pryce, scorer of a hat-trick of tries at the Willows two months ago, in place of Karl Pratt, who is out with a shoulder injury. Winger Lesley Vainikolo is still not ready to return from a knee injury.

Salford City Reds v Bradford Bulls, The Willows, Friday July 22 2005

Salford 18-man: Hodgson, Fitzpatrick, Littler, Beverley, Sibbit, Robinson, Rutgerson, Alker, Highton, McAvoy, Shipway, Charles, Haggerty, Hartley, Crawley, Baldwin, Langi, Stringer.

Bradford 18-man: Deacon, Cook, Fielden, I. Harris, Withers, Johnson, Lynch, B. Harris, Parker, L. Pryce, Peacock, K. Pryce, Langley, Hape, Reardon, Meyers, Vagana, Henderson.

Referee: R Silverwood

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Wildcats aim for Wigan double

Wakefield aim to continue their late-season surge by completing a rare double over Wigan at the JJB Stadium on Friday night.

The Wildcats were in serious danger of being dragged into the relegation dogfight a month ago after going down to six defeats in seven matches, a run which cost head coach Shane McNally his job, but are suddenly in sight of a top-six spot after posting back-to-back wins over Bradford and Widnes under new boss Tony Smith.

After opening their season with sensational wins over Bradford and Wigan, Wakefield promised to pick up from where they left last year, when their best-ever Super League campaign brought them a place in the play-offs.

The Wildcats also won at Leeds - a feat yet to be matched this year - but it was then downhill all the way until the appointment of Smith sparked a sudden upturn in fortunes.

A third successive victory would represent their best run since last October, when a six-match winning sequence was ended, coincidentally, at the JJB Stadium, where they let slip a 14-0 lead in the play-off semi-finals to go down 18-14.

It is 11 years since Wakefield last won at Wigan - Henry Paul scored 12 of the Yorkshire club?s points in a 20-13 triumph at Central Park - but, after completing the double over Bradford, the rejuvenated Wildcats are a side to be respected.

"They remind me so much at the moment of the way they played last year," admitted Wigan coach Ian Millward. "They have got everybody fit and all their key players are playing well.

"It?s a really tough game for us and we?re going to have to play well." Millward singles out former New Zealand Test second rower David Solomona as the chief danger but former Great Britain half-back Smith, who spent four seasons at Wigan from 1996-2000, believes a change of attitude throughout the team has been responsible for the revival.

"The players? attitudes and their response to me being coach has been the major factor," he said.

"We started with St Helens and Bradford and I wouldn?t have wanted it any other way to be honest. I felt those two games would make us more battle-hardened for what lies ahead and that?s how it has worked out.

"We?re heading in the right direction and we can?t wait for Friday. We?re definitely in with a chance. We?ve been making steady progress but we know it?s going to be difficult. Wigan are starting to hit a bit of form themselves."

The Warriors, too, were sliding too close towards the relegation zone for comfort until posting back-to-back wins over Leigh and Warrington and they were even able to draw encouragement from last week?s 40-18 defeat at St Helens.

Like Smith, Millward has detected a different mood in the camp since the team conceded 145 points in a nightmare nine-day spell.

"The whole place was in a state of shock after the defeats to Leeds and St Helens," he said.

"But the atmosphere since the last three games has been really positive. People feel a lot more confident about what they?re doing and everybody is more comfortable with each other." Wigan are also boosted by the return from injury of skipper Kris Radlinski, who can expect a hero?s welcome on his first appearance since announcing his decision to turn his back on a move to rugby union.

Wakefield are without leading scorer Jamie Rooney, who has a knee injury, but he was not guaranteed a place in the starting line-up under the new hard-line coach.

"I said to the players from day one that everybody has a clean slate and I think I showed that with my first-team selection, putting David March onto the bench," said Smith. "And the week after I dropped Jamie Rooney.

"I let my intentions be known from the start and I think the response I have had has been good. Everyone has tried to prove a point."

Wigan have stand-off Kevin Brown back from an ankle injury and winger Brett Dallas (foot) and prop Jerry Seuseu (knee) also return to the squad.

Wakefield keep the same starting line-up as they aim to make it three wins in a row for the first time this year and coach Tony Smith will turn to new signing Steve Booth to fill the vacancy on the bench caused by injury to Jamie Rooney.

Wigan Warriors v Wakefield Trinity Wildcats, JJB Stadium, Friday July 22 2005

Wigan 18-man: Radlinski, Dallas, Brown, Aspinwall, Gleeson, Orr, Moran, Seu Seu, Newton, Hargreaves, Allen, Tickle, Hansen, Sculthorpe, Guisset, Wild, Godwin, Tomkins.

Wakefield 18-man: Halpenny, Wainwright, Demetriou, Domic, Tadulala, Jeffries, Griffin, March, Korkidas, Solomona, J. Field, Spicer, Obst , Snitch, MacGillivray, Elima, Wrench, Booth.

Referee: K Kirkpatrick

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Saints to rest hooker Cunningham

St Helens have the chance to go top of the table for the first time for 18 months - at least for 24 hours - when they take on relegation-doomed Leigh Centurions at the Coliseum.

Saints have moved to within a point of champions Leeds, who face a tricky visit to Warrington on Saturday, after posting an eight-match unbeaten run since the appointment of coach Daniel Anderson.

Anderson rests hooker Keiron Cunningham and Paul Wellens but insists that is no sign of disrespect to the Centurions, who are potentially just two games away from sealing a return to the National League and the Knowsley Road side will have stand-off Jason Hooper back although hooker Mick Higham misses out.

"We have to give every team we play respect," said Anderson. "Leigh will be motivated to show a bit of pride for the club and the community."

Leigh have lost second rower Oliver Wilkes with an arm injury but scrum-half Jon Duffy returns after missing last week?s game at Bradford through illness. Rugby union man Chris Jones, signed on loan from St Helens, will not line up against his old club.

Leigh Centurions v St Helens, The Coliseum, Friday July 22 2005

Leigh 18-man: Cooper, J. Duffy, Fleary, Halliwell, Jackson, P. Jones, Kent, Leafa, Maden, Marshall, Rowley, Smyth, Stapleton, Sturm, Wilshere, Owen, Stevens, Mears.

St Helens 18-man: Albert, V. Anderson, Bennett, Edmondson, Fozzard, Fa?asavalu, Gardner, Gilmour, Graham, Hardman, Hooper, Lyon, Moore, Mason, Roby, Sculthorpe, Talau, Wilkin.

Referee: I Smith

Many thanks to www.superleague.co.uk for the above previews