Widnes Vikings winger Ryan Millar says last weekend’s 19-12 victory at York RLFC Knights was the ideal start to the season, but he has warned the squad that they must back it up against Keighley Cougars.
On Sunday, tries from Millar, Shane Grady and Ant Walker helped the Vikings overcome spirited opposition to record two competition points in Round 1.
Millar, who was making his competitive debut for the club, admits there is a good feeling around the first team squad.
“Getting a win to start the season is massive psychologically. It puts you in the right frame of mind moving forward,” he said.
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“We had a good pre-season and were happy with how we performed in two-and-a-half of the three warm-up games.
“We took that really well into the opening round. It was a tough game and we knew they’d come out strong.
“We were really consistent with what we did, and we got the rewards in the end. From day one, I’ve been able to tell that this whole group is pushing in the right direction.
“The work rate and attitude in training is great. We highlighted being the hardest-working team in the league as one of our goals, and I think you can see that.”
On his first four-pointer for the club, the Germany-born winger added: “I don’t like to put too much pressure on tries, as there’s a lot of other ways to help my team-mates.
“It’s always nice to get off the mark and get your name in the papers so it was a good start!”
Up next for the Vikings is newly-promoted Keighley Cougars, who suffered a 50-0 defeat at home to Featherstone Rovers on Monday night.
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Despite enduring a difficult return to the Betfred Championship, Millar believes Keighley cannot be underestimated.
“I don’t think we’ll want to look too much into that Featherstone result,” the 28-year-old admitted. “Facing them in Round 1 would be tough for anyone.
“They’re still a bit of an unknown entity in this league and have made a lot of good signings over the off-season.
“They have two very good halves in Luke Gale and Dane Chisholm, so we know they’re going to be a massive threat and we need to be switched on.”
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