Performance more important than the result for Dewsbury Rams and Batley Bulldogs

Rams are at home to tenants and Betfred Championship rivals Bradford Bulls (3pm) while Batley play host to Super League visitors Hull (2pm).

Neither of the Heavy Woollen neighbours has won so far in pre-season.

They drew on Boxing Day before both losing at League One opposition last weekend, Rams going down 26-24 to Keighley Cougars and Bulldogs being beaten 16-12 by Hunslet.

But neither coach is overly concerned or putting much emphasis on tomorrow’s outcome, two weeks before their begin their league campaign.

Rams’ Lee Greenwood insisted: “Friendlies aren’t for winning and losing, they are for giving people game time.”

He said: “We have a lot of lads stepping up from different levels who are trying to make a name for themselves in the Championship.

“They need to prove to me that they can be in the 17 and I have got to give them the opportunity to do that in these games.

“The squad that took the field last week isn’t what we will see against Leigh [in round one] and the squad that takes the field on Sunday won’t take the field against Leigh either, but there are certainly spots up for grabs in the 17 and that is what the lads will be told this week.”

Batley’s new coach Craig Lingard admitted: “I would be slightly concerned if we were peaking now and we are nowhere near peaking.

“There is plenty of improvement to come and there is plenty of improvement needed.”

Lingard added: “One of the things I have been really impressed with in the first two games which is the attitude towards defence.

“We weren’t beaten by shape, they didn’t punch through us, or when they did our scramble defence was really good.

“The effectiveness in attack in will come, but the attitude in defence will have to be there against what will be a really strong Hull team – and we can test our attacking shape against what should be a really good defensive system.”