Championship Preview: Sheffield Eagles v Whitehaven

Sheffield Eagles coach Mark Aston has warned his players they cannot afford to be dragged away from their own game-plan after securing a narrow 20-18 win at Barrow Raiders.

Sheffield search for their 14thwin in 16 games when they host Whitehaven on Sunday, but Aston is aware of the dangers.

Aston said: “When you’re top of the league you’re a target and teams raise their game.”

Whitehaven coach Dave Woods has doubts over Jamie Rooney (hamstring) and Chris Fleming (hamstring).

Carl Sice and Craig Calvert are both missing due to personal commitments, but Woods is confident his side can still cause an upset.

Woods said: “We know what quality Sheffield have got and that we’ll need a big effort this week.

“We beat them in the first round at home and had a game-plan that we thought worked. Hopefully we can get out there, get in their faces and keep some pressure on their main men.”