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.