Brown admires Brown

St Helens coach Nathan Brown believes that Widnes stand-off Kevin Brown will be a key man when the two clubs clash on Friday.

The Vikings veteran has been a key part of his team’s success so far this season, and Nathan Brown feels that the player’s creative talents need to be snuffed out by Saints.

“If they win a game, then if Kevin’s not their best player, he’s in their top two or three players,” he said.

“He’s been one of the best players in the game this year, I think everyone would agree.

“Kev on face value has probably been in the top two or three players in the competition this year.

“Kev Brown passes for just about more tries than just about anyone else in the competition, so that’s a fair stat to have on your side, especially if you’re a 7 or 6.”

Widnes are heading into Friday evening’s game at Langtree Park on the back of an impressive win over local rivals Warrington.

The Saints coach expects the Vikings to be fired up, as they look to cement their place in the top eight of Super League.

“They had a great result last week, it was their first win for a while,” he said.

“As a group they’re commited for the cause.

“For us it’s about looking to improve on last week. We improved from the week before.

“If we get certain parts of our game where we continue to improve, and if we continue to do some things we’re doing well, then we’re confident that, regardless of who we play, we can give ourselves a good shot.”

Meanwhile, Kevin Brown has a good idea about what to expect from Saints, having worked with Nathan Brown at Huddersfield.

“I know certain parts where he’ll be going after us, and you can just tell that they’re well coached,” he said.

“They work hard for each other, they do all the little things really well, and that’s probably the trademark of a Nathan Brown side.

“I think we’ll expect the best, and that’s probably what we’ll get.”