Widnes v Halifax: Marshall throws down gauntlet as Halifax seek TV upset

Halifax coach Richard Marshall believes his side can break their Super 8s Qualifiers losing streak at relegation-haunted Super League outfit Widnes Vikings today but only if they can conjure a '9.5 out of 10' performance.
Halifax coach Richard MarshallHalifax coach Richard Marshall
Halifax coach Richard Marshall

The Cheshire stragglers, now under the tutelage of former Bradford Bulls boss Francis Cummins – the coach who interested Fax before they appointed Marshall four years ago – are in apparent free fall.

Winless in the Qualifiers, they must beat Fax in front of the Sky cameras and then triumph in their remaining two fixtures to have any hope of dodging relegation via the so-called Million Pound Game.

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“They’re desperate, they know they need to win otherwise they are definitely gone,” said Marshall, who was buoyed by a vastly improved second-half performance in last weekend’s 38-24 loss at Hull KR.

“Everyone’s writing them off, but they’re not out of it yet; no one gave us a chance of winning our last four games last year to make the top four, but we did it.

“They know they need to beat us to give themselves a chance and, on paper, they should expect to do that.

“Neither side is in winning form, so they’ll be big favourites.

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“A Super League team, at home, on their pitch, against a team of part-timers on a Saturday afternoon? They should be putting 30 or 40 points on us.

“But we know things don’t always work like that in rugby league, so we’re viewing it as a fantastic opportunity in front of the TV cameras.

“We felt we got something out of that second half performance last weekend, so we want to take that into Saturday’s game. Look, we know it’s going to be difficult, but if everyone from one to 17 produces a 9.5 out of 10 or a 10 out of 10 performance, then we’ll give ourselves a chance of causing an upset.”

Marshall will again make changes to his team, with loose forward Simon Grix and Kieran Moss expected to return.