Adam Swift’s likely return for St Helens
St Helens will get a major boost on Friday night when winger Adam Swift likely comes back into the mix for Keiron Cunningham’s side against Salford. The Saints have suffered on their edges so far this season due to injuries and a variety of form – but the return of Swift will be a huge boost against a Salford side who will smell a real chance of an upset.
A season-defining afternoon for Widnes
It’s been a season of two halves thus far for Widnes Vikings. A blistering start has been followed by a stuttering few weeks in which they have gradually slid down the Super League table. They’re still five points clear of the bottom four, but this weekend’s clash against ninth-placed Hull KR feels huge for their season. Win, and they can start to look up the table again. Lose? They will be increasingly sucked into the bottom four scrap, you feel.
Are Wakefield top four contenders with a win on Sunday?
With one of Hull and Wigan (or maybe even both) set to drop points this weekend, Wakefield can move ever closer to the top four with another shock win this weekend. It would be unthinkable to imagine the Wildcats in the hunt for the play-off semi-finals, but they would move another step closer to securing a top eight finish if they could upset Warrington on Sunday. Win, and they could open up as big as a seven-point gap on the bottom four which, at this stage of the season, feels huge.
Jodie Broughton to haunt his former club?
It’s been a fine season for Catalans Dragons so far – with winger Jodie Broughton one man in particular who seems to be thriving in Perpignan. He’s racking up the tries and is perhaps showing Huddersfield what they missed out on when they let him go at the end of last season. With the Giants still languishing in the bottom four and the Dragons flying high in second, can Broughton inflict more misery on his former team this Saturday?
Hull’s attempts to spoil the Sam Tomkins party
All eyes will be on Wigan fullback Sam Tomkins on Friday night when he makes his second debut for the club – but is that a touch unfair on Hull? They’re in exceptional form, they destroyed St Helens last weekend and head to Wigan fancying their chances of another victory, which would be their eighth in nine games. The spotlight will be on Wigan and Tomkins when the Sky cameras start rolling on Friday night, but this Hull side probably won’t mind that one bit.
