Widnes head back on the road to Odsal in hope of returning back to winning ways
After another disappointing display at home against Featherstone last time out, Widnes head into the fixture low on confidence and in desperate need for their fortunes to turn.
The challenges don’t get much tougher than a trip to Odsal, despite having a healthy record against Bradford of late, the Bulls have had an aggressive off season, recruiting players of high quality who have experience at the highest level both in England and Australia.
Players like Waqa Blake and Jayden Okunbur are just two examples of the quality and depth Bradford have with both men possessing NRL experience.
Despite having an abundance of talent to select from, the Bulls are a wounded animal coming into the game off the back of a disappointing 28-20 1895 semi final defeat at the hands of York.
A team chasing a return to Super League will turn their attention back to league action on Sunday in hope to bounce back to winning ways. The disappointing defeat will no doubt make Bradford all the more hungry to put in a dominant display in front of their home support.
However a win for Widnes would see them close the gap on the top six teams to just 1 point, yet a defeat could leave them 8th in the table if Doncaster were to beat London at home.
If Widnes are to escape Odsal victorious the Widnes forward pack will have to produce a similar level of performance as they did against Toulouse in round one, whilst the Wingers will have to field an abundance of cross field kicks from the Bulls as they will look to take advantage of the height of players like Guy Armitage, Waqa Blake and Jayden Okunbor out wide.
Welcomed additions for Widnes
It has been a positive week off the field for Widnes as overseas signings Jake Maizen and Morgan McWhirter arrived in the UK. Both players could make their debuts for the club at Odsal.
McWhirter will hopefully add some leg speed in the middle of the pitch and impact for when games open up for the Vikings, whilst Maizen will add an abundance of speed and danger in attack especially from deep.
Widnes also announced the loan signing of Winger AJ Towes from Leigh till the end of the season. The 21 year old has already shone at Championship level for York earning himself a move to Leigh.
The pacey Winger already has a proven try scoring record at such a young age in the Championship for York scoring 35 times in 67 appearances for the club. Both Towes and Maizen will inject much needed speed into the Widnes back line.
It is perhaps an example of the perfect loan signing for all parties, a young hungry player getting valuable game time in hope of eventually breaking into Leighs first team on a regular basis, whilst Widnes receive a player with a proven record at this level adding speed into the team an attribute they have lacked in recent times.
Noble on Widnes
Bradford head coach Brian Noble spoke ahead of the visit from Widnes saying “it will be really tough, they have a good roster, they have shown glimpses of what they are about, they are like all of us and come up with a couple of loses at times you wouldn’t expect, but they will be intense.”
He also spoke highly of the Widnes coach Allan Coleman adding “Allan is a really good coach, we will have to be at our best to beat them.”
Ahead of the clash it was confirmed star Half Back Joe Keyes, dynamic forward Ebon Scurr and Australian forward Logan Bayliss-Brow will all come into contention for Brian Nobles men.
One to watch
Zac Fulton since arriving at Odsal last season has become somewhat of a fans favourite. Watching his ball carrying style and aggressive defence, it is easy to see why supporters think so highly of him.
Close to the line, Fulton is a huge attacking threat with the angles he runs close to the try line. Not only a try scoring threat, he also has the ability to attract multiple defenders creating space out wide for the outside backs, something that is valuable on the tight Odsal pitch tactically for Bradford.
Still only 23 with his best years are still to come, Fulton has 42 appearances for the Bulls scoring 17 tries, a staggering try scoring record for a Back Row forward.
It looked likely he would depart Bradford at the end of last season in search of a Super League or NRL deal but at the final hour took a change of heart to commit his future to the club.
Previous 5 meetings
Despite going in as heavy underdogs, the recent meetings between the two teams make positive reading for Widnes as they only have tasted defeat once in the last five games against Bradford.
- Widnes 25-6 Bradford – July 28th 2024
- Bradford 13-14 Widnes – April 28th 2024
- Bradford 12-26 Widnes – February 25th 2024
- Widnes 31-14 Bradford – July 9th 2023
- Bradford 14-12 Widnes – February 19th 2023
Trivia
- Widnes have played Bradford 135 times since 1875. Widnes have the upper hand in the fixture across history claiming victory 71 times compared to Bradfords 56.
- Joe Keyes holds the record for most points scored in a match between the two teams. He scored 30 points in a 62-0 victory against Widnes back in 2019, the week after Widnes announced they would return to a part time operation.
- Jonathan Davies is the only player to score 4 tries in the fixture back in March 1991.
- Liam Kirk is the only player in the match day squads to have held a permanent contract with both clubs. Dan Murray has also appeared on loan for the club in his career.
