Sinfield looking for Leeds spark to ignite season against Bradford

Knocked out of the Challenge Cup by St Helens a fortnight ago, and beaten at  Warrington last week, they are experiencing a familiar blip and no one is more aware of it than their self-critical captain Kevin Sinfield.

Losing their grip: Sinfield (right) has seen St Helens surge ahead in recent weeks

‘It has gone on for more than two weeks,’ says Sinfield. ‘We have had a rough patch for a couple of months. We have seen a six-point lead at the top of Super League and the prospect of going to Wembley in the cup fade away.

‘The team has not been functioning and, for whatever reason, I have not been  playing as well as I know I can.

‘As captain you look at your own performances first and I need a big one against Bradford this week. Apart from anything else, I am sick of moping around the house when things are not going well because I know how good it feels when they are.

‘We had a similar blip last year but recovered in time to win the competition and we can do it again.’

It would be easy for Sinfield, anxious to cement his place in England’s World Cup squad, to trot out a string of excuses about injuries and burn-out.

Leeds may be paying a price for peaking early, when they won the World Club  Challenge against Australia’s Grand Final winners Melbourne Storm. But they hit the season running, leading the table for the first 19 rounds. St Helens, their big rivals, started indifferently but are now red-hot after 17 consecutive victories.

‘A lot of people are writing us off like they did last year but there is no better time to mount a challenge,’ says Sinfield.

‘We’ve had injuries but so have other teams. There have been a massive number in Super League this year.

'We have missed Brent Webb in the last few weeks. I regard him as the best full back in the world and, hopefully, he will be playing against Bradford.

‘You won’t find us looking for excuses, just a return to form. Where better than in the biggest derby of them all?

‘We have beaten Bradford three times in Super League this season and they won’t  want us to clean-sweep them. They have had their problems with injuries and I think they are going through a transitional period, but they will be fired up against us at Headingley. They always are.'