Hull KR coach Craig Sandercock insists his side must be firing on all cylinders to stand a chance against Widnes Vikings on Sunday.
The Robins have had an inconsistent season so far and are currently out of both the Challenge Cup and the Super League play-off spots. In contrast, the Vikings are in the quarter-finals of the Cup and will only be two points behind third-placed Castleford Tigers if they win their game in hand.
Sandercock, who is expected to sign a new contract with the Rovers in the coming days, said: “They’re playing really well are Widnes, they’re doing the simple things right and Kevin Brown looks like he is in career best form for them too.
“Rhys Hanbury is a great runner at full back and the young winger, Jack Owens, is very fast as well so they’ve got a good all round side without too many weaknesses.
“They’re playing good, solid Rugby League and no doubt we’ll have to be up there near our best to be competitive. It’s up to us to put in the best performance we can.”
On the unfortunate, crippling injury of prop Justin Poore, Sandercock added: “Justin is going to be a big loss. I thought in the past couple of games he was fantastic for us, but as the saying goes somebody’s misfortune is somebody else’s opportunity and there are a couple of boys we could possibly get back this week.
“We’re looking at maybe Jonny Walker and Jamie Langley being available and if that’s the case it’s a major boost to us. Ben should definitely be back which is pleasing and hopefully Dave Hodgson will be available for selection as well. All of a sudden, we’re starting to get a few senior players back and when you do that, you can then make some decisions based on form and training.”
