Paul McShane: I'm settling in really well

He may only have been on-site for just over a week, but Widnes' recent loan signing, Paul McShane admits he's already loving life at the Vikings; "I'm settling in really well and it helps that I've walked into an environment where the lads are close-knit with no divides whatsoever within the camp.

"Everybody seems to bounce of each other and there's a perfect combination of discipline and banter. Slotting in has been really easy if I'm honest, and everybody has made me feel at home both on and off the pitch.

"The coaching set-up is fantastic too, and it's obvious that Denis and his team know each other really well and there's an understanding and a trust between them which is the ideal formula and exactly what you need to succeed."

Paul has put pen to paper on a deal that will see him pulling on the Vikings' colours until the end of the current Stobart Super League campaign and the 22 year-old is delighted Widnes have offered him a platform to showcase his obvious talent on the bigger stage, having previously spent the bulk of 2012 in Leeds' U20s side; "I'm extremely grateful that Widnes have given me a chance to play first team rugby on a more regular basis. I'd not had too many opportunities at Leeds this season, so the prospect of playing week in week out was far too good to refuse. Hopefully I can gain as much experience as I can while I'm here and that will only help me in the long term."

McShane earned himself plenty of plaudits after his inaugural run-out for the Vikings last weekend, contributing heavily to their 26-22 victory over Huddersfield Giants. As debut's go, McShane was happy with how things went, adding; "I really enjoyed it. Huddersfield are flying high this season and to be fair, Widnes haven't won too many games, so there wouldn't have been many people who would've given us a chance of beating them beforehand.

"There was a real buzz about the place going into and during the game and it was a great achievement for the team. We're all delighted with the win and personally, I was thrilled to bits to play my part in the overall performance."

With a trip to London Broncos on the horizon for the Vikings this Saturday, the secret now is to build on last weekend's performance and continue the winning habit. The game at the Stoop also offers the Vikings their first opportunity of a 2012 Super League home and away ‘double', but no-one at Widnes is taking anything for granted, as McShane was keen to point out; "There's plenty of quality and experience in the London team and there are players in there that have played on both the Origin and international stage.

"Without a doubt, you would definitely have to class this as one, if not the, biggest game of our season so far. We're going up against a team who probably don't think they deserve to be rooted to the bottom of the Super League table and they will be looking to take out their frustration on us and leap-frog us for positions.

"Everybody is well aware just how crucial this game is. We've prepared really well for it and we'll be going there with a positive mental attitude and looking to take our ‘A-Game' with us and come away with another win.

"Hopefully we'll have plenty of our supporters down there with us as well. At last week's game I thought the fans were fantastic and even my girlfriend, who was sat in the crowd, admitted she had goose-bumps too!

"We're hoping to reward them for the long journey by giving them plenty to shout about on Saturday afternoon and if enough of them travel down, the noise they create will easily make it feel like a home game which would be brilliant."