Widnes face an uphill task as they welcome Bradford to the DCBL Stadium
Defeat last week to an 11 man Doncaster left play off hopes hanging by a thread. Widnes looked lacklustre in attack and displayed an anxiety when defending their try line.
The season doesn’t get much easier for Allan Coleman and his squad as they welcome a star studied Bradford team. Confidence in the Widnes camp looks to be at an all time low.
Bradford will look to punish the Vikings frailties using the sizable forward pack. Players like Eribe Doro, Ronan Michael and Nathan Mason if selected will look to set the platform and pin the smaller Vikings deep in their own half of the pitch.
Powerful outside backs Jayden Okunbor, Waqa Blake and Guy Armitage if selected will want early ball out wide to test out the Vikings steel in defence. No doubt the experienced Joe Keyes will help guide the team around the field.
As for Widnes any unlikely victory will have to come from a much improved performance. Only a performance close to both Toulouse victories will be enough for Widnes to have a chance of claiming victory.
The Half-Back combination and the fluidity in attack will need to be much improved, shifting the ball early in sets, moving the sizable Bradford team around the field, in hope fatigue kicks in will be key in the case of any shock result.
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.
Still only 23 with his best years are still to come, 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.
A wide pitch at Widnes will suit his game as he will look to make half breaks to then feed the on rushing Bradford back line.
How Bradford shape up
Brian Noble names only two changes to his team that defeated Oldham 28-12 last time out. Big middle Emmanuel Waine is welcomed back to the 21 man squad, whilst Jorge Taufua returns after an 18 week absence, it remains unlikely he will feature against Widnes.
Nobles 21 man squad has an abundance of experience both at NRL and Super League level.
Bradford have managed to maintain the loan of Eribe Doro for the clash against Widnes, the former Widnes man has been a top performer when appearing at Championship level, he will no doubt be a boost for the Bulls if selected.
Experienced forwards Michael Lawrence and James Donaldson remain side-lined. Donaldson is likely to miss the rest of the season.
Previous 5 meetings
- Widnes 31-14 Bradford – July 9th 2023
- Bradford 12-26 Widnes – February 25th 2024
- Bradford 13-14 Widnes – April 28th 2024
- Widnes 25-6 Bradford – July 28th 2024
- Bradford 36-20 Widnes – May 25th 2025
Trivia
- Since 1875 the two teams have met on 136 occasions, Widnes have claimed victory on 71 occasions compared to Bradford’s 57. The rest being played out as draws.
- Joe Keyes who takes the field this week holds the record for most points scored in the fixture by a player with a total of 30 points in a game back in 2019. Widnes the week prior had announced the switch from full time to part time.
- Jonathan Davies holds the record for most tries scored in the fixture, he is the only player to have scored 4 tries in a game between the two teams.
