Widnes looking to improve again, says Hanbury

James Gordon

Widnes full-back Rhys Hanbury says they’re looking to improve again this season – and that will mean keeping their top eight place.

The Vikings secured a first ever Super League play-off place last season, finishing 8th, having finished bottom of the pile in 2012 and 10th in 2013.

They kick-off the 2015 season by hosting Wigan at the Select Security Stadium on Thursday, in front of the Sky Sports cameras.

He said: “It probably would have been easy after the first year when we ran last to wipe out a whole lot of us.

“But we’ve slowly built the team, kept the most of the squad from last year and added a bit of size. We haven’t gone out to sign for the sake of it, we’ve added a fair bit of depth and that’s what we need.”

Widnes have beaten Wigan at home twice since their return to Super League, including 24-10 last season, and suffered a one point defeat in 2013.

But on all three occasions, Wigan have fielded a less than full strength team, something that is unlikely to be the case for the season opener.

Hanbury added: “We’re excited to start the season and it doesn’t get any better than Wigan.

“We’re looking to win every game, it makes no difference who we play. Wigan are a top team, so it’ll be a good test for us.”