Salford travel to Wigan this Friday looking forward to kick start their super 8 campaign. Paul Parkin looks forward to the game.
This week feels a lot like do or die for Wigan and ourselves both sides hopes of making the semi-finals are now hanging in the balance. Wakefield currently hold forth spot 2 points ahead of the Reds and 3 above Wigan and with St Helens in between any slip up this week for either side could make it a near mission impossible.
Wigan are coming off the back of an 18-4 home win over Huddersfield whilst we’re backing up from our home defeat to runaway leaders Castleford. Both teams are desperate for the crucial 2 points and maybe both may have revenge on their minds after our first ever win at the DW earlier this season and for us of course the heart-breaking semi-final loss. I have a feeling this could be a very tense affair.
Battle 1: Josh Jones v Ant Gelling
Two big uncompromising guys could well come face to face. Josh Jones is a powerfully strong running player who really takes some stopping, he’s at home either in the centre or as has been more common, in the second row. Gelling is also a strong runner who is awkward to get hold of and even harder to keep hole of. Both players have great offload games which can cause trouble to their opponent.
Battle 2: Weller Hauraki v Jon Bateman
I think it’s safe to say these two guys probably don’t send each other Christmas cards, what I’m saying is I don’t think they like each other very much. There have been many occasions when they’ve met each other that the fireworks (and the fists) have exploded. Weller will pick up even more responsibility in the reds pack this week as the enforcer with both Lama Tasi and Ben Murdoch-Masila missing. Bateman is a real handful who has some really class in his locker, aggressive and tough he’s a real nugget of a forward. These two could well light up the DW.
Battle 3: Niall Evalds v Sam Tomkins
Two exciting attacking full backs who are both very capable of scoring and setting up tries from very little. Both are very dangerous in broken play and will exploit any gaps left in the defensive line. Niall has 12 Super League tries this season and will be looking to add to that this week. Tomkins is a massive influence on the Warriors and has popped up many times this year with important contributions.
Head to Head
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