Widnes Vikings coach Denis Betts believes no matter which competition his side are playing in come the split for the Super 8s, he’s just hopeful they are doing so in good shape after their recent form continued with victory on Thursday night.
Widnes climbed off the bottom of the table with a 36-10 victory against Leigh, reducing the gap to the top eight to just five points in the process.
And while Betts admits he’s pleased to see his side playing well, he stopped short when asked if the top eight was still a realistic proposition.
He said: “You can kill yourself with what-ifs. We’ve lost three games where we were in total control.
“Wherever we end up we will end up knowing we have players back who are playing well. We have got to put in some more good performances. We have enjoyed this last month, three wins from four games.
“If we would have had proper combinations this year then who knows? It’s all ifs and buts but we are getting some quality back. We have Alex Gerrard and Eamon O’Carroll back now too and we need experienced players at this stage of the season.
Betts, however, admits he was delighted with the manner of his side’s victory on Thursday as they moved off the bottom.
He said: “We looked more in control. We are starting to get bodies back now and that is obviously helping. The kids that aren’t playing in the side now, they have given us the base but we’ve brought more experience in and that’s good for us.
“We are getting half-back partnerships back now: Joe Mellor was good in coming back from a lay-off, Chris Bridge, when he is fit, is a big player for us. We are getting players back from injury and it really does help.”