If I Could Turn Back Time

With the Leigh Centurions gathering the strongest team in living memory, I thought it was time to cast my mind back over the years and dig out some heroes from yesteryear. I have put a provisional starting point of around 1978 which is the first time I can remember going to a match. The only thing I remember is Des Drummond standing on the touchline just in front of me, waiting for a kick off and the strong smell of wintergreen and my fathers Victory V's.

Without any further ado, here we go:

1.       Neil Turley

2.       Des Drummond

3.       John Henderson

4.       Tom Armstrong

5.       Liam Kay

6.       John Woods

7.       Mike Ford

8.       Tim Street

9.       Micky Higham

10.   Fuifui Moimoi

11.   Simon Baldwin

12.   Cory Paterson

13.   Adam Bristow

Fullback - I had this narrowed down to Neil Turley, Paul Topping and Stuart Donlan. Much as I like the other two, Neil Turley was worth the entrance fee on his own. He had tremendous pace and a graceful running style reminiscent of the great John Woods, in the way he could run on an arc to avoid the oncoming tacklers.

Wingers - Des Drummond "Superstar", enough said. Liam Kay is the most exciting winger I have seen at Leigh for a long time. Leigh went through a long period of slow, wingers. At the end of day I would rather see Denny Solomona than Patrick Ah Van. Give me a whippet any day like Mason Caton-Brown.

Centres - I am sure Leigh have had some good centres over the years, but these two gave me greatest joy to watch. Except for John Henderson being caught by Barrie Ledger who sprinted from the other touchline to prevent Leigh from going to Wembley.

Stand Off - John Woods, this is Leigh we are talking about, how many other players have a statue outside the LSV. Tommy Martyn could have been a legend if he had come to Leigh earlier in his career. Someone definitely dropped the ball letting a Martyn go to Oldham.

Scrum Half - Mike Ford was a quality player and he played in Leigh team that liked to play 3 scrum halves at the same time (Jason Donohue and Phil Johnson) (Hooker and Loose Forward in case your interested).

Prop Forward - As a pair of  props my favourites were Tim Street and Lee Hanson. As a ball handling prop, I was a big fan of Derek Pyke. Fuifui is a legend at the club hence my choice.

Hooker -  Leigh have been particularly blessed in this area in recent years, from John Duffy, Sean Penkywicz, Bob Beswick. Micky Higham has done two brilliant but separate stints and had the temerity to have a successful career in between.

Second Row - Simon Baldwin had two great stints at the club. Cory Paterson is only one season in, but what a great player with ball in hand.

Loose Forward -  A position that has lost it's focus in recent years. I used to love watching Harry Pinner or John Pendlebury pulling the strings from the pack. Adam Bristow was not a fancy dan, but he was ever dependable. An all round good guy.

Unfortunately I never saw Alex Murphy, Mick Martyn or Kevin Ashcroft play so that's my team.

Say Hello Wave Goodbye

Promotion in 2016 was the culmination of 3 very successful seasons. The team that won the Championship in 2014 is no longer the team that will ply it's trade in the Super League in 2017. The roll call of fan favourites leaving the club was a sad sight to see,

Outs: Greg Worthington, Liam Kay, Fuifui Moimoi, Bob Beswick, Johnny Pownall, Reni Maitua, Tom Spencer, Andrew Dixon, Tom Armstrong, Eze Harper, Richard Whiting, Sam Barlow

Greg Worthington - you will be missed, and why for godsake would you choose to play in Championship 1 when Super League beckons. A player who got stronger every season. Good Luck at Toronto mate.

Liam Kay - The best winger seen at Leigh for many a year. It's shame it all turned sour at the end.

Fuifui Moimoi - The King of the Bash. Thanks for the memory, it was pleasure to watch you every week giving it every you had. The best memories are running up the North Stand to celebrate your try, and kicking a conversion. You sir, are a legend of the game.

Bob Beswick - What happened to you? It could have been a wonderful season, but by all accounts you went on unofficial strike. I will miss you, but you left a bad taste in the mouth.

Johnny Pownall - The world loves a trier, and I think you deserve the big adventure of playing in Toronto.

Reni Maitua - I thought Leigh had signed a wrong 'un when you turned up. What a season to retire! Good Luck in everything you do. Thanks for the memories.

Tom Spencer - A good signing for London, I hope you have another good season.

Andrew Dixon - The hardest working man on the field. Nothing flashy just make those big yards and play wherever you were asked to. Good Luck in Toronto.

Tom Armstrong - When you played with Liam Kay the roof of the stand would lift off in anticipation, whenever either of you got the ball. 2016 was not your best and it was not a surprise you signed for the Winless Vikings.

Eze Harper - Good Luck, not really given too many opportunities for progression.

Richard Whiting - Not sure what happened to you, but during certain periods you where the best Leigh player by a mile. Good Luck in Toronto

Sam Barlow - You blew it mate! We could have it had it all. It's kind of ironic that it is was temper that did you in the end.


Ins: Glenn Stewart, Eloi Pelissier, Antoni Maria, Atelea Vea, Ryan Hampshire, James Green, David Thompson, Ben Crooks (loan)

For a bit of fun I am going to line up the outgoing players with incoming players.

Out		In	Winner
Greg Worthington	V's	Ben Crooks	Draw
Liam Kay	V's	Ryan Hampshire	Liam Kay
Fuifui Moimoi	V's	James Green	Fuifui Moimoi
Bob Beswick	V's	Eloi Pelissier	Eloi Pelissier
Johnny Pownall	V's	David Thompson	David Thompson
Reni Maitua	V's	Atelea Vea	Draw
Tom Spencer	V's	Antoni Maria	Antoni Maria
Andrew Dixon	V's	Glenn Stewart	Glenn Stewart
Tom Armstrong	V's		No Contest
Eze Harper	V's		No Contest
Richard Whiting	V's		No Contest
Sam Barlow	V's		No Contest

It is a tight contest with the Out team scoring 2 victories to 4 wins for the In team. Not a totally convincing victory for the Super League boys.

If I Only Had A Brain

Prior to the start of the 2016 season, the much loved Head Coach and former player, Paul Rowley mysteriously left the club. It was a dark cloud that was never fully revealed to the general public, but the void was filled by rumours of which I would never dare to speak openly on the internet.

Derek Beaumont quickly promoted the two remaining coaches, with Neil Jukes and Paul Anderson, being left to run the club and playing staff. Mid season the two vacant positions where filled in by Paul Cooke and Keiron Purtill. Paul Cooke was available immediately and appears to have had an instant impact. Keiron Purtill was placed on garden leave and not able to start his new position until the season had officially finished.

How good are the brains in the outfit? It is important to know because brawn is no advantage when fighting brawn, it is brain power that will win the day. The Duke of Wellington is attributed to the quote, "The Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton". The coaching staff have to lay down the platform to beat the opposition. At the same time opposition is trying to do the exact same thing to you.

Neil Jukes - Head Coach - It is telling that Jukesy's Wiki page is only two lines long, which is still probably more than his playing career. Credit must go to Neil for steering the team all season, with only 3 defeats in all competitions. The biggest plus in his favour is long history with the club from player to 6/7 years as assistant coach. There is no Super League experience, with the exception of 4 games in the middle 8's.

In a game where to rise to the top of the coaching profession you must first have played the game to a decent level. Neil did not have a stellar playing career and quite frankly in interview appears to only just have a grasp of basic English and is not best suited to media work.

Paul Anderson - Assistant Coach - appears to work in the background as the club enforcer and glorified water carrier. Not much is known of his work, but he appears to be hot headed and prone to get into trouble with authority. Not a good role model when the team need to limit the amount of penalties they give away, if they any chance of competing in Super League.

Paul Cooke - Assistant Coach - A player with some distinction, and an astute reader of the game. Paul Cooke obtained coaching experience with Doncaster Knights in Rugby Union, working as a Skills and Backs coach. He is a sharp analyst and appears to like working with the loveable rogues of the game. Troubled during his own playing career he is trying provide both skills and advice to those that most need it. During a break in a game, he will often relay advice to the key players in the Halves, Fullback and Hooking positions.

Many people believe that he will eventually become the Head Coach at Leigh when Neil Jukes fails to make the grade. Paul appears to be well settled at the club and in a recent interview with the Guardian appears to be close to signing an extension to his contract.

Keiron Purtill - Assistant Coach - Well respected in the game, Keiron has spent the last 14 years as Assistant Coach at St Helens and Huddersfield. Although fired from his last position or more plausible made his escape plans to flee the sinking Huddersfield Giants.

Keiron is expected to polish up the team and concentrate on the youth setup and player welfare.

In summary Leigh have created a strong coaching team, who appear to be bonding the team together, they have introduced are the latest technology, but that only brings them in line with all the other Super League teams.

It is hoped that Neil Jukes and Paul Anderson are concerned with the team as a whole, whilst Paul Cooke and Keiron Purtill can assist at a player level with bring new attacking ideas that will hopefully be able to get the team over the whitewash. (See Leigh v Huddersfield 2016). Leigh in the 1st half deliberately targeted the international pairing of Leroy Cudjoe and Jermaine McGilvary as a weakness defensively. It paid huge dividends with Matty Dawson scoring a hat trick of tries. This I have no doubt was the work of Paul Cooke.

As a team Leigh need to shore up the defence, otherwise they are constantly going to be chasing games. The middle 8's saw a late capitulation in all 7 games, and this is a major weakness when Leigh are starved of the ball for long periods.

The Winner Takes It All

At this time of year it is safe to dream of what might be, but the reality is much more terrifying. There are 12 teams competing for the top slot, but in Rugby League the top teams are not concerned with positions after 23 games, only after 30 or more importantly after 32. The Challenge Cup is the one the fans want to win after a good day out in London and the Club wants the Grand Final.

If you want to know the order of importance, just ask a Warrington fan, because at the end of the day they won the one Trophy the fans didn't really care about.

No Super League teams wants to finish in the bottom four, and the target therefore for a team like Leigh Centurions is to make the top 8. In order to achieve that based on last years results, you need to achieve 21 points. 20 Points with Salford having 6 points re-instated would have shown the danger zone with points For and Against coming into play.

	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	Ded	Pts
1	Hull FC	23	17	0	6	605	465	0	34
2	Warrington	23	16	1	6	675	425	0	33
3	Wigan	23	16	0	7	455	440	0	32
4	St Helens	23	14	0	9	573	536	0	28
5	Catalans	23	13	0	10	593	505	0	26
6	Castleford	23	10	1	12	617	640	0	21
7	Widnes	23	10	0	13	499	474	0	20
8	Wakefield	23	10	0	13	485	654	0	20
9	Leeds	23	8	0	15	404	576	0	16
10	Salford	23	10	0	13	560	569	6	14
11	Hull KR	23	6	2	15	486	610	0	14
12	Hudd'sfld	23	6	0	17	511	569	0	12

Can Leigh obtain 21 points from 23 games? and If so, who could they beat to get those points?

11 home wins would do nicely, but even Catalan don't achieve that kind of home advantage. If we assume that a loss to the big 5 Home and Away to Hull, Warrington, Wigan, St Helens, and Leeds.

That means they need to win 10 and draw 1 against Catalan, Castleford, Widnes, Wakefield, Salford and Huddersfield. 

In my opinion it is a tough ask to pick off the weaker teams and in particular to do so Home and Away. 

The 1st Four games of the season will set an early marker for where Leigh are at.

Friday 10th February 2017 8pm K.O - Castleford v Leigh

Friday 17th February 2017 8pm K.O - Leigh v Leeds

Friday 24th February 2017 8pm K.O - Leigh v St Helens

Friday 3rd March 2017        8pm K.O - Wigan v Leigh

Castleford are a very inconsistent team, only 1 point separated them from the mid table pack last season, but they did finish very strongly in the Super 8's.

Leeds are also going to be better than last season, everybody knows that.

St Helens are going to be tough at any point in the season

Wigan is a grudge match on Home turf for the Pies.

Theoretically Leigh could easily be on nil points from 4 games. Leaving a tough set of matches against Hudderfield, Warrington, Wakefield, Widnes, Catalan and Salford to try to play catch up.

I like the Leigh team on paper but they have to play these games on the green stuff, and I have absolutely no doubt that it is going to be tough.

For this reason I am predicting a bottom 2 finish with around 14 points. That means hitting the middle 8's with only 3 home games. It is a tough old game.

Take A Chance On Me

Take A Chance On Me

Rugby League is so much more than 13 men running onto a park, it is even more than a 17 man match day team. It is all about the squad, and in Leigh's case that means 27 brave souls willing to put their bodies on the line.

Continuing from my last post we now have the rest of the squad.

14. Eloi Pelissier - Hooker - SL Experience. A tough France International, who after making Catalan his home for the last 5 years, will be plying his trade in Leigh. This was the surprise signing for the 2017 season, and he was long on my personal wishlist. He is fast and strong and annoying to play against, because of his unpredictability. Fiery and prone to lose his temper he should be at home at the LSV. In fact he spent some time in the area when he was in the Wigan U18's squad. I can vouch personally for his impeccable English and look forward to see him terrorise Super League teams in the near future. This will be his last year as understudy and will be owning the number 9 jersey for years to come.

15. Danny Tickle - Prop Forward - SL Experience. An experienced player returning home, having been born Golborne. Certainly a nice to have as a back-up rotating prop. Likes to run in hard and turn his back looking for an off-load.

16. Antoni Maria - Prop Forward, Second Row - SL Experience. Not much is known about Antoni with the exception that he will be leaning on Eloi as an interpreter, as he gets used to the mangled vowel sounds of the average Leyther. Can guarantee he will be looking at illuminous green mushy peas on a plate of Lobby and wondering what he has let himself in for.

17. Atelea Vea - Second Row - NRL and SL Experience. A player that St Helens will be pleased to see the back of, similar to Matty Dawson. I hope he has a similar impact as Dawson because he will be very welcome as an impact player at the LSV. Look forward to him having a point to prove when Leigh and Saints meet.

18. Gregg McNally -  Full Back -  Championship Experience. Gregg suffered injury in pre-season last year, but immediately slipped back into position just in time for the middle 8's. I hope losing the number 1 jersey will spur Gregg onto becoming a club legend. Weakness is in the tackle but is a superb open play runner, in the style of Morgan Escare. It was telling that Catalan preferred to use Tony Gigot when playing away from home, last season. Gregg and Morgan both have a point to prove.

19. Ryan Hampshire - Fullback, Stand Off - SL Experience. Now is the time for 22 Year old Ryan to pick up the pieces of his Rugby League career. No longer a promising youngster in Wigan's ranks, Ryan needs to find his position and fulfil some of latent potential.

20. Ben Reynolds - Fullback, Halfback, Hooker - limited SL Experience. The ultimate utility player, possibly vying for position with Ryan Hampshire. Possibly best suited as a Fullback but he willing to play anywhere he is needed.

21. Liam Hood - Hooker - SL Experience. Tough position to be in with two very good hookers ahead in the pecking order. The upside is that the modern game needs two hookers in every matchday squad. Liam as got better all season and finished the season with a marvellous display for Scotland. I expect Liam to get some game time if Micky Higham needs to rested.

22. James Green - Prop Forward, Second Row - SL Experience. A big lad at 6ft 6in, James was an early departure from the Champioship bound Hull KR, I hope he can kick on and cement his place in the team, after a shoulder injury at the end of last season.

23. Sam Hopkins - Prop Forward - Championship Experience. Having been signed by Wigan in 2014, Leigh fans thought they had seen the last of Sam Hopkins. Fortunately the move did not work out and Sam came back on loan and then later it was made permanent. Sam is a fans favourite particularly for his ability to score close to the line, when seemingly wrapped up by opposition. Always available as impact player, Sam gets better with every season.

24. Jamie Acton - Prop Forward - Championship Experience. Jamie is the club enforcer and I am pleased to say he learned from the master of the bash Fuifui Moimoi. Jamie likes the physical side of the game, and is never one to shy away when the fists fly. Possibly from another era, when the game was dirtier and 26 men grown would punch each other stupid. As the Warrington fans tell me, the only think they will win, is a fight outside a pub.

25. Lee Smith - Wing, Fullback, Centre - SL Experience. A cleaver player who makes up for his dwindling pace with Rugby nous. I am sad to say this that his top flight playing days are coming to an end. Last season he was a rock in the Leigh team and covered numerous positions, but against Leeds he looked decidedly ponderous. Possibly one last season before the Championship beckons.

26. Lewis Foster - Scrum Half, Stand Off, Hooker - Championship Experience. Unfortunately Lewis never stands out. He is way down the pecking order for the Hooking role and could not be trusted to play against Super League opposition in the Halves. Sadly I think his future at a lower level.

27. David Thompson - Winger - very limited SL Experience. David is apparently the fastest member of the Leigh squad, Opportunities so far have been very limited in his career, but this could be his breakthrough year considering what lies ahead of him in the pecking order. I get a feeling he may well replace Adam Higson before the season is over.

Summary - plenty of experience, with some youth thrown into the mix. Quite a few only have limited Super League or none at all. Centre and Wings appear to be the major weakness with only utility players to cover the all important half back roles.

The Pack is full of players available to rumble and with three international Hookers there is going to be plenty of go forward.

Rock 'n' Roll

Rock and Roll

"It's been a long time since I Rock and Rolled
It's been a long time since I did the Stroll
Oh let me get it back let me get it back
Let me get it back baby where I come from"

Led Zeppelin - Rock and Roll - 1971 (Not a bad year for Leigh!)

It certainly has been a long time 11 years, to be exact. The excitement in the town is absolutely electric. It is the main topic of conversation for everybody I meet who has the slightest interest in Rugby League and the Leigh Centurions.

The main question everybody is asking is, how will they do in the First season back in the Super League? It is the great unknown, and with only 12 teams to choose from it is difficult to predict.

The team is short of Super League experience, but the individuals involved have a wealth of experience.

1. Mitch Brown - Wing, Fullback, Centre - NRL experience. A huge addition to the 2016 squad and spent his Leigh career as a Centre. This is the most contentious of all the shirt numbers and suggests a lack of faith in Greg McNally to do the job at Super League level. Unknown how this will work out but many expect a switch back to centre if Leigh are hit by injuries in the Centres, where there is a lack of depth.
2. Adam Higson - Wing - Championship experience. Possibly the weakest link in the first XIII, He is much improved but still has a tendency to drift inside to try to choke the opposition Centre options. It is effective when it works, but often allows for walk in tries. Expecting big wingers to walk over him on a regular basis.
3. Ben Crooks - Centre, Wing - NRL and SL experience. Started career with a big bang and is now settling in to Super League after a a brief spell in NRL. Brought in on loan to cover a large whole in the Centres vacated by the departures of Greg Worthington and Tom Armstrong.
4.  Willie Tonga - Centre - NRL and SL experience. Nobody is questioning the ability of this former Australia International, the main issue is whether he can stay fit enough to string a handful of games together. Leigh fans have only seen him on very rare occasions in the last 12 months, but when he did turn out his handling and awareness are the equal of any Centre in Super League.
5. Matty Dawson - Wing - Super League experience. The former Huddersfield and St Helens winger, was not the most exciting of mid-season signings. With previous experience as a second string winger, Leigh fans craved a speedster on the flanks. What they got was a very consistent player with a Rugby brain. Whilst not the fastest in the game, his positioning was always brilliant, knowing when to cut inside and when to go when in attack. 
6. Martyn Ridyard - Stand Off, Scrum Half - Championship experience. Much will depend on the development of Riddy this season. At one point last season his career at the LSV looked to be over, with talk of a transfer. The loss of Ryan Brierley affected his game and he was moved into the hooking role in an attempt to learn new skills and increase his involvement in the game. The arrival of Paul Cooke has turned things around and Martyn Ridyard is now a very vital cog in the team. Riddy needed to improve his kicking from hand on the last tackle and running with ball in hand. Hopefully one day they will be as good as his goal kicking which is probably the best in Super League.
7. Josh Drinkwater - Stand Off, Scrum Half - NRL and SL experience. A mid-season 2016 signing, that proved to be the glue that bound the backs to the impressive forward line up. Coming in for the departed Ryan Brierley, Josh changed the style of the team with his intelligent kicking and his running across the coal face of the opposition looking for a lofted pass to his wingmen. The Leigh fans had a collective sigh of relief when he finally put in pen to paper, after much deliberation based on whether his girlfriend would be happy to stay in the Leigh area for the immediate future. Expecting big things from this intelligent Rugby player.
8. Gareth Hock - Prop Forward, Second Row - SL Experience. Gaz is the pantomine villan, the player that opposition fans love to hate. He was much derided in the Championship and he split the opinion of many a Leigh fan. Coming from Salford with a terrible disciplinary record and carrying more than a few pounds over his fighting weight, Gaz has settled down and appears to be enjoying life and his Rugby for the first time in a long time. His discpilinary record still hangs heavy around his neck but he was vindicated more than once by the disciplinary panel. Still tries to force the offload too often, but is key component of a powerful pack.
9. Micky Higham - Hooker - SL experience. The return of the prodigal son, after a trip around the best clubs in the North West - St Helens, Wigan, and Warrington. At 36 and the back end of his career, Micky is still looking fit enough to lead the team for 40 minutes each week. Fortunately he now has some serious back-up in the shape of Eloi Pellisier and Liam Hood. Expect to see his trademark sniping runs from the play-the-ball.
10. Dayne Weston - Prop Forward - NRL Experience. Dayne was signed up early for the 2016 and slipped off many peoples radar, when Leigh signed the Salford trio of Rangi Chase, Cory Paterson and Harrison Hanson. Dayne made off with all the club gongs in 2016 with his no-nonsense hard running. Dayne seems to be a key component of the great atmosphere off the pitch. An end of season operation, may curtail his start to the Super League season but this is one tough Hombre, so don't bank on it.
11. Cory Paterson - Second Row, Centre - NRL and SL experience. Cory is a powerhouse forward, who is fast enough to play in the centres. A prolific try scorer with a career record of a try every 3 games. Last season saw him carve up Championship defences at a record close to a Try every game. Looking like forming an interesting middle partnership with Glenn Stewart.
12. Glenn Stewart - Second Row - NRL and SL experience. Glenn was unveiled with much fanfare by Derek Beaumont. Initially not excited by the marque signing, I am starting to warm up to the idea. Glenn is a smart Rugby player with good distribution and organisation skills. He is slowly moulding the team into a Super League unit.
13. Harrison Hansen - Loose Forward - SL experience. Harrison is the big hitting tackling unit of Leigh outfit. His timely interventions like the Hull KR game can change a game. All Rugby League fans like a good legal hit and some even like the not so legal (Terry and Baz).

In summary the first XIII looks strong with plenty of experience. The pack are a tight unit with plenty of explosive running from the second row and plenty of experience in the front row. 

The half backs are a little less strong individually than other Super League sides but I expect them to be better than the sum of the parts. Paul Cooke will shape how they play and expect further developments in both players.

The backs are possible the weak point of the team, but if the forwards can lay down a good platform, and Willie Tonga can stay fit they may gel into a useful unit.