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Leeds Rhinos ace Ablett bigs up derby
Leeds Rhinos back-rower Carl Ablett reckons tomorrow's visit of Bradford Bulls is still one of the biggest games in rugby league.
Crowds for the West Yorkshire derby have been declining over recent years, when the teams have met up to four times in the weekly engage Super League rounds.
But Ablett insisted it remains a massive clash for the players involved – and the fact the teams are scheduled to meet only twice this term will give tomorrow's game added spice.
"In previous years, with playing them so many times, maybe that did take a little bit away," said Ablett.
"But as soon as you get into the ground, you know it's Leeds and Bradford. There's usually a big crowd and it still feels like a big game.
"It's a local derby and they seem to be coming into a bit of form, but hopefully we are as well. We have been building, we looked sharp against Harlequins last week and hopefully we can carry that into Friday night.
"They beat us the last time we played and we'll be looking to get one back at them at Headingley."
But Ablett said revenge for the 10-6 defeat on Good Friday won't be an issue this week.
"That seems like a long time ago now," he said. "A lot of stuff has happened in between.
"The last game won't have any effect. We won't talk about getting revenge. We will just go out there and try to improve on what went on last week and hopefully that will be enough to get us a victory."
Rhinos are targeting a good start to tomorrow's game, after a poor opening against Harlequins five days ago.
"We seemed to start a bit flat," said Ablett. "They had some ball and some territory and we had to defend.
"Once we started getting a bit of ball, things started to happen. But we will need to improve.
"We improved last week on the week before and it's important we improve again tomorrow.
"There's definitely areas where we can be better."
Five wins from the last six games have lifted Rhinos to second in the table, four points adrift of leaders St Helens and one clear of third-placed Hull KR.
Momentum
"We're improving gradually," said Ablett. "We'll just take it one game at a time and see where we are.
"It is coming up to that period when you need to be gaining momentum and putting some performances together, which we seem to be doing."
Recent wins over Huddersfield Giants and Harlequins have boosted Rhinos' prospects of finishing in the top two, but Ablett stressed: "I think it's just important to keep winning, keep playing well and keep trying to improve.
"We'll see where that takes us after the next 10 games, but hopefully we should be there or thereabouts at the top."
Meanwhile, Rhinos hooker Paul McShane has undergone shoulder surgery and will be out for around three months.
But Rhinos are confident back-rower Ian Kirke, who suffered a broken leg earlier this month, will return before the end of the season.
Rhinos have signed 17-year-old former Stanley Rangers junior Clayton Stott, after he impressed during a trial with their academy side.
McClennan has made one change to the 19 named for last weekend's trip to Harlequins, with forward Simon Worrall replacing Ashley Gibson.
Worrall was drafted in at Quins as a late replacement for Ryan Bailey, who returns to the squad along with hooker Matt Diskin who also missed the win with an injury.
Full-back Brent Webb is also named despite suffering a knee injury in the capital.
Leeds Rhinos (from): Webb, Donald, Smith, Senior, Hall, McGuire, Burrow, Leuluai, Buderus, Peacock, Jones-Buchanan, Ablett, Sinfield, Diskin, Bailey, Lauitiiti, Burgess, Worrall, Watkins.
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Sunday 12 February 2012
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