Millward urges Wigan to step-up and
Bradford take on the Rhinos

Official English Super League Round 19 Previews: Friday Games - Leigh v Wigan and Leeds v Bradford.

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Millward urges Wigan to step-up

Wigan coach Ian Millward has called for more aggression from his players as he attempts to arrest the club?s slump in form.

The Warriors have conceded 145 points without reply in their last two games and now face a crucial engage Super League derby at Leigh on Friday.

Bottom side Leigh have lost their last seven games and appear to be heading for relegation but their fans are relishing the chance to heap more misery on their local rivals.

Wigan are in danger of being dragged into a relegation scrap and after those back-to-back record losses to Leeds and St Helens, confidence is at an all-time low.

The club have struggled with injuries and new coach Millward is having to rally a squad lacking senior players due to the loss of Andy Farrell and injuries to Sean O?Loughlin, Gareth Hock and Kris Radlinski.

Millward said: ?We just need to be positive. I feel for the players and the fans.

?The only way out of this is working hard. There have been so many disruptions ? players leaving, players getting injured ? that we are lacking cohesion.

?We just got blown off the park against Leeds and St Helens. It has probably had a huge effect on our confidence, but the previous three games we were heading in the right direction. Against Leigh we?ve got to get back in that direction.

?It is imperative to win. We need a win, we desperately need some confidence. It can be the ugliest performance in the world ? we have got to win.

?They (the players) have never been through this before, it is a new experience.

?When they have had it tough before they have had experienced and dominant people in the dressing room to help them through it. It?s my job to get that sorted out.

?I wish they would assert themselves more and talk, I have never met a bunch of boys so quiet.

?If I was going on a stag do ? I just wouldn?t want to go with them!?

Millward is certainly not expecting an easy ride as he makes his first return to former club Leigh as a coach since leaving to take charge at St Helens in 2000.

Millward said: ?If you ask the Leigh people, relegation is not an issue ? the reason they came into Super League is to beat Wigan.

?I think this will be more hostile than the last two games. Last time Wigan went to Leigh there were bottles on the field.

?There?s going to be pressure and they have got to have the mentality this is not a step down from the last two games. We have got to be ready for that.?

Leigh have not beaten Wigan since 1984 but even after last week?s Challenge Cup loss to Hull and with the prospect of relegation increasing, coach Darren Abram claims his players need little motivation.

Abram said: "Our biggest home crowd was against Warrington and we are hoping to top that.

?The fans will get right behind us and we?ll be looking to make it as difficult as possible. They (Wigan) will bring a few and it should be a good atmosphere.?

Second rower Oli Wilkes, who underwent shoulder surgery after suffering injury in March, could make a surprise return for Leigh after being named in their initial squad.

Warren Stevens and Robbie Mears are back after being cup-tied and Phil Jones is set to play despite dislocating a finger last week.

The Warriors have no obvious stand-off after Kevin Brown limped off with an ankle injury against St Helens last week.

He faces up to five weeks out and Danny Orr (shoulder) is still missing. Hooker Terry Newton is also a doubt after a suffering knock but David Veaeliki (shoulder) is back in contention and Liam Botham, who was cup-tied at Saints, returns.

Leigh v Wigan, The Coliseum at Hilton Park, Friday July 1

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

Wigan 18-man: Vaealiki, Dallas, Aspinwall, Botham, Carney, Allen, Moran, Seu Seu, Newton, Beswick, Hansen, Guisset, Tickle, Godwin, Hargreaves, Coyle, Gleeson, Sculthorpe.

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Bradford take on the Rhinos

One of engage Super League?s most-anticipated fixtures is the derby between Leeds and Bradford and the two sides meet again at Headingley on Friday night with the table-topping Rhinos aiming to win their fifth successive regular season game against the Bulls.

Bradford trail the Rhinos by 11 points and were beaten 42-12 by them at Odsal earlier in the season, as well as in last year?s Grand Final, but captain Jamie Peacock is undaunted.

Peacock said: ?We have shown we can beat anyone on the day. There is no doubt about that and everyone in the league knows that.

?We have trained really hard gearing towards this game and it was good to have the week off to give us time to prepare.

?But Leeds are playing very well. The league table doesn?t lie and the amount of games they have lost doesn?t lie either. It shows you what a great team they are.

?They have shown throughout the season they can grind away and then any one lapse in concentration they punish you for.?

The game is a repeat of the 2004 Grand Final, Great Britain international hooker Matt Diskin?s last senior game for Leeds, who are expecting a sell-out capacity crowd.

Diskin is recovering from a knee operation and was named in Leeds? initial 20-man squad.

Less than 2,000 tickets remain on general sale with the South Stand and North Stand already sold out.

Danny Ward (back) returns to the Leeds squad and new Bulls signing Ian Henderson is set to make his debut at hooker after arriving from Parramatta last week.

Fellow Australian Brad Meyers could also feature after making a quicker than expected recovery from a knee problem.

Leeds Rhinos v Bradford Bulls, Headingley, Friday July 1 2005

Leeds 18-man: Mathers, Calderwood, Walker, Senior, Bai, McGuire, Burrow, Bailey, McDermott, Lauitiiti, McKenna, Sinfield, Dunemann, Ward, Poching, Jones-Buchanan, Ellis, Smith.

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

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Thanks to www.superleague.co.uk for more great articles.