Widnes Vikings forward Shane Grady says improvements must be made if they want to return to winning ways against Halifax Panthers on Monday.
John Kear’s side suffered a late 14-12 defeat at Bradford Bulls in Round 3, ending their unbeaten start to the new season.
They will have a chance to put things right on Monday night as Halifax visit the DCBL Stadium, with the game also being broadcast on Viaplay Sports.
“They’re a top side with top players throughout the team,” Grady said.
OFFER: Bring a friend to Halifax for £15!
“They complete high and play good rugby, so we’ve got to be at 100% and firing on all cylinders.
“If we have a second half like we did against Bradford, we’ll get beat. Everyone needs to bring their A-game, because Halifax proved last year that they’re a good team and want to be pushing for the play-offs again.
“Everyone has that extra bit of motivation to try and beat them. If we want to finish near the top this year, we can’t play like we did against Bradford.
“Nothing is given to you in this league, so you’ve got to be better than that and we have a great chance to rectify things on Monday.”
Reflecting on last weekend’s heartbreaking defeat at Odsal, Grady believes that the squad’s reaction to the setback shows how far they have come in recent months.
“Everyone feeling that disappointment shows where we’re at this year,” the 33-year-old added.
“As a group, we’re putting that extra bit of pressure on ourselves because we do want to finish near the top and we have the talent in the team to do it.”
On a personal level, Grady has enjoyed a strong start to the new season.
SIGN UP: Widnes TV
The versatile forward has scored in both away fixtures so far and played a key role in victories against York RLFC Knights and Keighley Cougars in the opening two rounds.
On the secret behind his performances so far, Grady said: “I’ve had my first full pre-season in five or six years because of injuries or operations.
“Having a solid pre-season has set me up well, and I’ve come ready for Round 1, whereas in the past I’ve been coming back from an injury.
“It takes a few games to get back into the swing of things, whereas this pre-season I’ve been able to hit the ground running.”
Visit our online club shop to buy the latest Vikings merchandise!
