Wigan Warriors V St Helens: Kevin Brown looks ahead to the Good Friday Derby - and shares his memories of the rivalry

The Good Friday Derby is the best.

It’s what you do all the training for, that’s for sure.

The intensity, the speed, the collisions- everything goes up, and the crowd makes that happen.

The amount of people that are screaming creates an amazing atmosphere.

They were the games that I looked forward to the most.

Good Friday has that extra edge because both sides tend to start the season pretty well and this is usually the first time they meet each other.

That anticipation is the reason why it’s such a big game.

It got watered down a little bit when they were playing five or six times a year, but now it’s back to being a proper rivalry.

I was there last year at Saints and it was an amazing game, both teams were flying going into it.

This season is probably a little bit different because the two sides can probably be a little bit better- and will be.

Both have had their inconsistencies.

Last week Wigan hammered Leigh, but the week before that they stuttered over the line.

Saints are similar- they go over to Australia and prove they’re the best team in the world, but have been pretty average since by their own standards.

It’s really hard to split.

The fact that they’re both close in the table and will be contenders at the end of the year makes it massive.

It’s going to be such an interesting game, I’m not sure who will win it, and that’s the beauty of it.

It can go either way and it’ll be whoever plays the best on the day.

There were a few years where Wigan were dominant, and then a few years when Saints were dominant, but that gap has closed now.

Saints are probably favourites, but only just, so I cannot wait.

If Jai Field was playing it’d probably be the other way around.

Without him I’m not sure they’ll have enough in attack to beat a very good side, but it’s going to be so close.

Hopefully the remaining few tickets are going to sell-out because it’s going to be a cracker.

For the players it’s going to be about staying composed and playing the game right on that line.

There’s a few famous Good Friday games where it has boiled over, and that’s always the worry because tempers can flare.

They need to play with that intensity, while keeping their heads cool.

At the same time, they have to go for it and can’t be too calm because you need a certain level of aggression.

When I’m watching it now, I’m hoping there’s a bit of that now because that’s what makes the game so good.

I’m so jealous when I’m at these games.

I don’t miss too many matches, but the ones I do are the cup finals and the derbies.

Being a fan is the next best thing.

Right from being a nipper you nail your colours to the mast and pick your team.

Even though as a kid I played for St Helens’ town team, I chose Wigan and went to watch them at Central Park.

When I joined the club, I had that genuine dislike for Saints and always wanted to get one over on them.

It didn’t matter how I was performing before or after, you know that game was coming and had the date circled in the calendar.

One of my best days as a player was my debut when we were given no chance, but as derbies often go it doesn’t matter about the form or the bookies, because things get wild.

I was absolutely cr***** myself before the game, I was so nervous.

I wasn’t just making my debut, I was also facing a team full of internationals that we have to beat.

If we had played them 100 times we probably would’ve only won that once- I’m convinced.

Myself and some of the other young lads had energy and enthusiasm, while some of the older lads like Terry Newton, Terry O’Connor and Adrian Lam really led us home.

It’s such a great game to be a part of, and there’s been many days since that has had the same kind of drama.

That was a packed out JJB as it was then, and the DW will also be rocking on Friday.