Kingstone Press Championship – Round 9 Previews

[Dons News]

<p>Sunday April 26</p>

<p>Kingstone Press Championship</p>

<p><strong>Doncaster v Bradford Bulls (2.00)</strong></p>

<p>Doncaster didn’t have a fixture last weekend and coach Paul Cooke says it gave his side a much needed rest. “I think the players feel the benefit from it; they feel refreshed and hopefully will be raring to go at the weekend for a much tougher test than we’ve had in a long time,” he said.</p>

<p>“Bradford will have recovered well and to score 30 points against a very good side in Hull KR is no mean feat. I don’t think anybody expects us to get anything from the game so it’s a bit of a free bat for us. What we need to do is improve performances and if we do so then we give ourselves a chance in probably some of the more winnable games.</p>

<p>“Having said that, we’ve played in games where we’ve been given no chance and upset the odds so we’ll certainly be drawing on some of those experiences. When people don’t give us a chance we generally get a lot more out of the team and individually the players give a little bit extra. I’m looking forward to seeing how the players respond this weekend against a very good Bradford team.”</p>

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<p><strong>Sheffield Eagles v Halifax (4.15)</strong></p>

<p>Sheffield Eagles have been up against some tough opposition over the last few weeks. Coach Mark Aston said:  “We’ve enjoyed the big games. We had a great result against Featherstone and I thought we were a little bit unlucky not to come away with the result against Leigh. For large parts of the Cup game against Hull we made a good fist of it. We were losing 22-12 with 10 minutes to go then had a try disallowed.</p>

<p>“We enjoyed the Challenge Cup but it’s great to be back in the league and again we’ve got another tough game. But that’s what it’s all about, there are no easy games and it will be no different this week against a very strong Halifax team that played well against Wakefield for large parts.”</p>

<p>The Eagles will be without prop Tony Tonks, who is serving a one-match ban, but second row Michael Knowles and hooker James Davey will be available while half-back Pat Walker and second row Duane Straugheir could also return.</p>

<p>Halifax lost to Wakefield Trinity Wildcats in their Ladbrokes Challenge Cup tie but coach Richard Marshall said his side were competitive against the Super League outfit: “We are disappointed not to be in the next round of the Challenge Cup,” he said. “I thought we were in the mix for the majority of the game but Wakefield’s class and full-time status pipped us towards the end and we conceded some soft tries.</p>

<p>“We need to do better defensively against Sheffield. They’re a good team; the table doesn’t lie they’re there because they’ve been playing well for the majority of the year. They’ve had a couple of tough games over the last two weeks so I think it’s going to be an interesting game. We’ll be looking to continue our league form.”</p>

<p>Half-back Danny Craven, signed on loan from Widnes, will be added to the Halifax squad but prop Adam Robinson is a doubt with a wrist injury.</p>

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<p><strong>Leigh Centurions v Batley Bulldogs (3.00)</strong></p>

<p>After their thrilling win over Salford Red Devils in the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup, Leigh Centurions are back to Kingstone Press Champions action this week. Despite the euphoria surrounding their victory coach Paul Rowley is keeping his feet firmly on the ground. “The best thing about it is the number of people who are coming to watch us and there’s a younger generation as well, so there’s a good cross section of ages,” he said.</p>

<p>Looking ahead to the Batley game he said: “They had a really, really strong start to the season and have obviously stepped up considerably from last season. They’ll be enthusiastic and targeting us as being a bit battered and bruised so I’m sure they’ll want a physical game. We’re expecting a really tough test.”</p>

<p>Batley Bulldogs coach John Kear said: “Leigh away is probably the hardest game for any Championship team to play in. They are a Super League team in disguise really and you saw that at the weekend. It’s a big task but you should enjoy games like this.</p>

<p>“We played some young players last week against Swinton and they did very well. It adds to their experience and gives them more confidence in their ability to cope at this level. It was a really good weekend’s work for us. But it’s a return to the bread and butter this week and it’s a tough return.”</p>

<p><strong>London Broncos v Dewsbury Rams (3.00)</strong></p>

<p>After the gruelling Easter period with four games in two weeks London Broncos coach Andrew Henderson says his squad have benefited from having a week off. “I pretty much stuck with the same side throughout that period so it was a well-deserved break,” he said.</p>

<p>“It was good from the players point of view just to freshen up and also gave us an opportunity to have a couple of days away from rugby so we can mentally freshen up as well as physically.</p>

<p>“Dewsbury are a very good side; they’ve got a lot of quality players throughout their team. They taught us a lesson early in pre-season and have been winning in recent weeks so are probably playing with a bit of confidence.</p>

<p>“We’re going to have to be very good to get the result on Sunday. We’ve prepared well this week and we’re unbeaten at home so we’re hoping to keep that record intact. We’re going to have to be honest as a team and ensure we work extremely hard for each other and execute the plan.”</p>

<p>New signing, winger Elliot Kear, is included in the 19-man squad.</p>

<p>Dewsbury Rams beat Hunslet Hawks in last week’s Ladbrokes Challenge Cup tie. Coach Glenn Morrison said: “We still weren’t at our best but we got through to the next round.</p>

<p>“We’ve got a little bit of momentum now but it’s going to be tough travelling down to London. We got to make sure we go there with our best heads on and try and come away with the win. If you look at the table it’s an important two points.”</p>

<p><strong>Whitehaven v Featherstone Rovers (3.00)</strong></p>

<p>Another coach who welcomed a weekend off is Whitehaven’s James Coyle: “It couldn’t have come at a better time,” he said. “We were getting a bit light on numbers. We’ve got a thin squad anyway and with Widnes having their injury problems, it’s having a knock on effect with us.</p>

<p>“Featherstone are quite a big, physical side so it’s going to be tough. They’ve been one of the form teams over the past three or four seasons and they’ve got the nucleus of the same players and they play some good stuff.”</p>

<p>Props Jonny Walker and Richie Beaumont, on loan from Leigh, are included in the Whitehaven squad.</p>

<p>Andy Hay’s Featherstone Rovers side are coming off a good win at North Wales Crusaders in the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup. “It was a good win for us,” he said. “North Wales aren’t a bad side and they made it pretty tough for us so I’m pleased with the win; we scored some nice tries. We’ve got a little bit to do with our defence but we got through to the next round.</p>

<p>“We went up to Whitehaven a few weeks ago in the Cup and got a good result but they’ve picked up a little bit of form since then and got a couple of new players in so we’re expecting a different game and a tough game. They’ve had a week off as well so I think it’s going to be a different experience to the last time we went up there.”</p>

<p><strong>Workington Town v Hunslet Hawks (3.00)</strong></p>

<p>Phil Veivers, the Workington Town coach, believes his squad will benefit from having had a weekend without a game: “The number of games we’ve played in the last four weeks is well documented,” he said. “We carried a few bumps and bruises into those games so a few of them have been able to freshen up. We’ve got some bodies back on board which is good.</p>

<p>“Hunslet have strung together some good results and haven’t been losing by a lot of points; their defence is pretty strong. They beat Whitehaven and against Dewsbury last week they were very physical and competed strongly so there’s no underestimation from our point of view. They are a side who fight hard just like ourselves and they’re going to be a tough nut to crack.”</p>

<p>Hunslet Hawks coach Barry Eaton said: “We had a bit of a different focus last week in the Cup and weren’t far off against a very good Dewsbury side. We’re back to the bread-and-butter of the league now so we’ll re-focus on the job in hand, which is a real tough task at Workington.</p>

<p>“They are a very good side at home and they’ll go into the game as favourites. We’ve got a long journey up there on Sunday morning. We’ll prepare for that, stop off en route, have a pre-match meal and give ourselves the best possible preparation to play well.”</p>

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