IT'S fighting talk from Widnes Vikings half back Joe Mellor ahead of this week's battle with Warrington Wolves.

The Widnes Vikings half-back is confident he can pick up from where he left in his last outing against The Wire a fortnight ago when the two sides clash in the opening Middle 8s game on Friday night.

Although Tony Smith's men ran out 22-6 victors in the final round of Super League at The Halliwell Jones Stadium, Warringtonian Mellor was a thorn in their side throughout the night.

And the 26-year-old, who will again be up against his former half-back partner in Wolves' Kevin Brown, is surely key to Widnes hopes of a winning start to a seven-match series that determines three automatic places in the top flight next year.

Following a frustrating time with injuries this season, he believes that he is now coming into form.

“The past couple of games have probably been my best of the season,” he said.

“This two-week break has maybe come at the wrong time for me, as I was picking up some form but I’m confident that I can start where I left off against Warrington.”

Although finishing bottom of the pile after 23 rounds, that will count for nothing at the Select Security Stadium on Friday night.

“I think we’ve got to put the Super League season behind us and start afresh,” said Mellor, who was on Warrington's books as an academy player before moving to Wigan and then Widnes.

“Everybody starts on 0 points, so we’ve got to be prepared for these big games and make sure we’re ready to go from the outset.

“We had four days off following the Warrington game, and I think it’s been good for us.

"It has allowed us to rest the mind, as well as the body. We’ve been training really well since and everyone has come back excited for the competition.

“The players are itching to get back on the field and face Warrington. We came close to beating them a couple of times this season, so I don’t think that we’re far away.

“We’re going out to win every game in this competition, so it’s massive for us to get on the training field, be prepared and attack these next seven games.

“They’re all going to be tough games, and we know that we are going to have to turn up and be prepared to face each side.

“We’ve been in this competition two years ago, so we have an idea of what we’re heading into.

"Obviously, being here is not ideal for the club. We’d rather be looking at the top eight, rather than the Qualifiers, but I know we’ve got a strong enough squad to get the wins to keep us in Super League.”