Bradford Bulls coach Eamon O'Carroll praises Widnes Vikings

His side host a rampant Widnes Vikings tomorrow, and the visitors come into this one having won four of their opening five Betfred Championship fixtures, their only defeat coming in a difficult trip to Featherstone Rovers.

O’Carroll, who spent five seasons as a player at Widnes, is under no illusions that this weekend’s fixture will provide the Bulls with another massive test.

Looking ahead to Sunday’s match, he said: “They’re (Widnes) a quality team and are playing with a lot of confidence.

“Their spine, in particular, is well connected and I know them well. They’ve played with each other since 13-years-old and have played a lot of professional games together, so you can see the connection is there. That makes them extremely dangerous.”

O’Carroll went on to admit that he’s not been surprised with how well his former employers have started.

He said: “Not at all (surprised). I don’t really listen to the outside noise.

“I know there was a bit of distraction there at the start of the year and a thought that they weren’t going to be competitive, but it helps when you’ve been in the camp, which I have.

“I’ve played at Widnes and I know a lot of the players, so I’m fully aware of the quality that they possess, so we’re going to have to be at our best.”

Chester Butler and Keven Appo looks to wrestle Widnes to the floor in the Challenge Cup game back in February (Image: Tom Pearson)

The Bulls have already lost against the Vikings this season, as they were dumped out of the Challenge Cup at Odsal in the fourth round by a 26-12 scoreline at the end of February.

O’Carroll has admitted that they must focus on some aspects of that contest, despite this weekend’s match being a different game entirely.

He said: “We have to look at that game, of course we do. We won’t be solely focused on that game, as both sides have made big improvements since then, but we have to be aware of certain things that we did well and certain things that they did well against us.

“I’ve had a good look at that and at the other games that they’ve played, but we’ll be ready and prepped to go.”

O’Carroll confirmed that he’ll be without Dan Smith, Chester Butler and Zac Fulton this weekend, with all three players picking up injuries in and around the game at York.

He said: “Dan has injured his calf, so he’s going to be missing for a period of time, we’re not sure how long for, but we hope to get him back soon as he’ll be a big miss.

“Chester got a nasty bang to his hip, so that’s going to see him miss a number of games, and then Zac is continuing to undergo the correct protocol for a head injury, so he’ll be out this weekend.”

“We’ll have more information on those three very soon.”