Kingstone Press League 1 Preview: Swinton Lions v North Wales Crusaders

Swinton Lions had their recent iPro Sport Cup semi-final against Newcastle Thunder postponed due to bad weather.

Coach John Duffy said: “It was very frustrating but obviously it keeps us a bit fresher for the first league game on Friday which we’re looking forward to.

“Things have gone really well. It’s been a tough transition and I’ve got to commend all the players for buying into the new structure. I said to them last week their hardworking mentality has got them to where we are so far. We’ve just got to keep plugging away each week and try to get better.

“Crusaders are playing really well at the minute. They got a good win at Doncaster so Anthony’s got them firing and they seem like a real close bunch.

“They gave us a good touch up in pre-season and our boys are looking forward to the game to get a good win and start our league campaign.”

North Wales Crusaders coach Anthony Murray said: “With the pre-season we’ve had we should go into the Swinton game with confidence.

“They’re coming off a rich vein of form and have been beating teams quite convincingly. They had a great win at London and then beat Rochdale in the Challenge Cup so it will be a tough task and it should be a good game.”