WIDNES Vikings are raring to set about earning a round one win in Super League XIX.

Head coach Denis Betts wasted no time at this week’s press conference in highlighting what he wants his team to achieve in the opening few weeks of the campaign, starting with Sunday’s home clash against London Broncos at the Select Security Stadium, kick off 3pm.

He said: “I want to win. This team wants to win.

“We’ve got to get some positive outcomes from some really good performances.”

He continued: “In pre-season you get to that point where you are just chomping at the bit and I think everyone is raring to go.

“From our two friendlies, the way we controlled North Wales Crusaders, the way we went about our business and how clinical we were in a game that could have got really loose was pretty pleasing.

“Going to Catalan Dragons was a stern test, not just the disruption in travel, the hotel, the weather not being great, but playing close to what is probably their best team and producing a strong performance was another pleasing aspect.

“It wasn’t so much the quality of how we played, it was the attitude that we carried into the game that I was looking for.”

And ambitions over the course of the season, backing up last season’s 10th place finish?

“I’m driving hard about the fact that we don’t go backwards,” he said.

“It’s all about going forwards and that’s every day – how we live our lives and what we do to help this team and help teammates.

“The little steps forward are going to keep making us stronger because we know we’re stepping forward off some solid platforms.

“Again this year has been the same, not just through the acquisition of some quality people and the attitudes of the players here from the start but the young lads who also now know what it’s like to be a professional rugby league player - how hard it is every day in Super League and in general life, having to sacrifice a lot in order to achieve what you need to achieve every weekend.

“That reality takes a bit of getting used to and we’re at that stage with a lot of our younger players now.

“And as a whole place we’re in a stronger position than we were in last year.

“Now we’ve got to go forward and transfer that into performance and into making sure we’re moving forward on the table.”