London coach Danny Ward has warned the rest of the Qualifiers his Broncos side are not there to make up the numbers ahead of their opening clash at Widnes tonight.
The Broncos head north to face Francis Cummins’ Vikings quietly confident of ruffling a few feathers in the Qualifiers according to Ward, after his first season in charge of London saw them secure a top-two spot in the Championship.
And Ward told TotalRL: “I’m confident this group can go as far as they want.
“They’re good enough and they believe they’re good enough. We’re full of confidence; we’ve had some must-win games against some good sides through a tough period – and playing at that intensity for a prolonged period will stand us in good stead.
“We’ve worked hard to get here – and we won’t just put the cue on the rack. We want to have a crack at these sides and put some performances together. We won’t just sit back and make up the numbers.”
“The lads are buzzing; it’s exciting to be involved in this competition, testing ourselves against Super League sides – and it’s great we get a start on Sky. I don’t think anyone was more pleased we made the four than the barbers in Ealing – everyone’s had their hair cut for the Sky games!”
London only earned three points in last year’s Qualifiers but are tipped by some to shock a Vikings side who are without a win in months on Thursday night. But Ward said: “I wouldn’t say they were vulnerable and we’re not disrespecting them. They’ve had a tough year but they’ve known they were in Qualifiers for a long time, so I’m sure they’ll be wanting to start with a bang.”
Thursday’s clash also pits Ward against former Leeds team-mate – and travel buddy – Francis Cummins.
“When I first started at Leeds we’d carpool together with Matt Diskin and a couple of other lads,” Ward recalled.
“He looked after me when I first came to Leeds, and he’s a champion bloke. He was someone I looked up to being a Dewsbury lad.”
