SHEFFIELD EAGLES 18 LEIGH CENTURIONS 24
By Dave Parkinson.
Leigh Centurions went some way to putting their season back on track by claiming a gutsy five try 24-18 win over Sheffield Eagles at the cavernous Don Valley Stadium.
The venue has been a graveyard for many Leigh teams in the past with the Eagles roaring to a 39-12 success last July on a murky evening.
A patched up team under the guidance of Paul Rowley after Darren Shaw’s resignation worked hard to restrict the Eagles. The win came on the back of a sterling defensive effort and Rowley made his mark; naming Dennis Moran at fullback for the first time since his London Broncos days, recalling John Cookson after a spell at Rochdale Hornets; handing Lee Marsh the stand-off role following injury and debuts came for 19-year old Ian Mort and 21-year old Dale Cunniffe from the clubs reserve team.
With Ian Watson calling the shots in midfield and Moran given a free role to wreak havoc, Leigh began confidently with Adam Rudd spilling a chance as early as a the second minute. Rob Worrincy defused a bomb behind his own goal-line and the Eagles flooded forward when former St Helens centre Mike Roby linked with Worrincy at the other end of the field.
Australian Brendon Lindsay then kicked for opposite winger Danny Mills after nine minutes but a penalty for Leigh followed when the Eagles were deemed offside.
Three minutes later Moran turned back the clock with a dashing try on the left after Roby and Dominic Brambani fell for the fullback’s show and go. Watson missed the conversion but the number seven was at the hub of things after 19 minutes when his well disguised short pass brought a break and try for Adam Thomas. Watson goaled and Leigh were buzzing as the previous try’s duo combined in defence on Johnny Woodcock to force a drop out.
With the likes of Gareth Price, Mike Morrison and Chris Hill creating a quick play-the-ball for Dave McConnell, the Leigh hooker gained a foothold and Rudd went close to adding a third try from Moran’s distribution.
When Craig Cook attempted a quick tap from his own twenty after twenty-six minutes, McConnell was judged to have interfered with play and was sent to cool his heels for ten minutes. Immediately Sheffield clicked into gear and Chris Giles was tackled behind his own line.
From the drop out Adam Hayes, Lindsay and James Ford combined to get Mills over and it was all square two minutes later when former Super League second row Matt Whitaker put Ford through and Johnny Woodcock converted brilliantly from the touchline.
Brambani then missed with a drop-goal attempt but the Centurions discipline lapsed during the closing stages of the first half and Woodcock was on hand to nudge the Eagles in front at half-time with a 40-metre penalty.
Almost immediately, Sheffield began pressing for further points but Marsh bundled Ford over the touchline. After 46 minutes, the Centurions were again indebted to the vision of Moran on the right and Marsh bludgeoned through from fifteen metres despite the attentions of two defenders. Mort struck the upright from the touchline.
Leigh found the going tough before Ged Corcoran tackled Moran off the ball. The Centurions moved into range and clever movement from Lee Doran, Watson, Moran and Rudd saw the ball go along the line for Giles to touch down in the left corner and stretch the lead to six points.
With McConnell finding space from dummy half, Leigh again marched into Sheffield territory and the hooker almost slipped through before linking with Watson and then Moran. The fullback floated a perfectly weighted kick to the wing and Mort sailed in, unopposed before knocking over the difficult conversion. That made it three tries and fourteen points in just six second half minutes. At 24-12, back came Sheffield with Worrincy denied a try by Craig Cook’s forward pass.
Skipper Jimmy Taylor was at the forefront of Leigh’s effort with his drive in defence and attack a constant inspiration and to be fair neither side looked like adding to their tally until the 69th minute when Jack Howieson was halted close to the line and Worrincy was then unable to ground Whitaker’s kick. Mort had the opportunity to put the result beyond doubt after 76 minutes but his penalty attempt was wide and Sheffield gained a consolation try in the final minute when Cook got over from a tap penalty but Leigh held out for the win.
Paul Rowley gave the following reaction:
“I’m absolutely made up for the boys. I think after Darren’s shock exit from the club we were all bitterly disappointed. We really liked and respected Darren. It hurt us. We had a good week’s training and came to Sheffield in buoyant mood. It has been a bogey ground for Leigh Centurions in the past. We were confident and went out with no fear. We had endless amount of injuries but we looked on them as opportunities rather than looking down on it. All the young lads came in and did us proud.
“Dennis Moran was top try-scorer in Super League as a fullback and it was something that I wanted to try after moving up into the hotseat. We have a dominant figure in Ian Watson and Dennis is a dominant figure as well. I think sometimes maybe, they will clash and our number nine was finding it hard to make his mind up as to who wanted that ball. I think it worked well for us. Dennis is a great broken field player and he gets a free role and I’m quite happy that he played well.
“We did a lot of repetition in training because I knew it was going to be an arm wrestle and we’d have to stick to our guns and be patient. It proved right. We came here and we’ve done a professional job.
“I’ve been a fan of Ian Mort’s for quite a while. Myself and Darren had wanted to put him in somewhere but circumstances never provided a chance but I had no hesitation and to be honest I wanted to find a spot. To me he plays the game a lot like Neil Turley, he’s a fantastic support player.
"Dale Cunniffe was very tough and very honest. He went on and just followed instructions. We have had an injury crisis but I had no problem at all in picking those guys and I had 100% confidence in them all.”
Man-of-the-Match: Jimmy Taylor may have had his critics since taking the captain’s armband this season, but his eighty minutes of graft, determination and perspiration went a long way to securing the win although Dennis Moran was also at his creative best to create unlimited headaches for the Eagles defence.
Moan-of-the-Match: Two really. Leigh loss of discipline late in the first half was disappointing but the Centurions were able to overcome that to emerge strong victors in the end. But, Don Valley Stadium is still the most depressing venue for rugby league on earth, especially when just over 1100 hard souls are dotted about the huge 25000 seat venue and all the home fans can sing is “Eagles, eagles”
Match Facts:
Sheffield: Woodcock, Mills, Ford, Roby, Worrincy; Lindsay, Brambani; Howieson, Cook, Hepworth, Brown, Trayler, Hayes.
Subs: Whitaker, Buckenham, Corcoran, Stringer.
Tries: Mills (28), Ford (31), Cook (79).
Goals: Woodcock 3/4.
Leigh: Moran, Giles, Roberts, Rudd, Maden; Marsh, Watson; Morrison, McConnell, Price, Thomas, Doran, Taylor.
Subs: Mort, Cunniffe, Hill, Cookson.
Tries: Moran (12), Thomas (19), Marsh (46), Giles (50), Mort (52).
Goals: Watson 1/2, Mort 1/4.
Attendance: 1,108
Referee: Ronnie Laughton
Penalties: 11-7.
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