NEIL Jukes believes cashing in on Ryan Brierley will only harm Leigh Centurions’ dream of playing in Super League next season.

But Jukes, confirming Huddersfield Giants’ approach for Brierley, says recent speculation has unsettled his exciting playmaker.

And the Centurions boss hopes to soon draw a line under further transfer talk about the gifted half back and concentrate on reducing a lengthy injury list that already threatens to derail his side’s start to the new Kingstone Press Championship campaign.

“If Derek Beaumont came to me and said ‘there’s £300,000 for Ryan Brierley,’ I wouldn’t want to let him go because Ryan is a great player,” said Jukes.

“If Melbourne Storm came in for Micky Higham or Bob Beswick, I wouldn’t want them to go because it would hurt our team.

“Money to me as a coach is irrelevant.

“And the end goal for Derek is to try and get into Super League. What price do you put on that?

‘Do you want to let someone go for X amount of pounds when there is a good chance you won’t get the £1.8 million for getting in Super League?

Jukes says he only discovered Giants’ approach on Monday. “Derek and their chief executive had been in conversation and no one else was privy to those talks. Yet it come out in the media which unsettles the player.

“But Ryan wants to get into Super League with Leigh and I want him to be here.”

The speculation intensified when Brierley was omitted from Centurions’ 17 on Sunday against Oldham, after being listed in the 19-man squad ahead of the game.

However, Centurions have released French international and former Catalan Dragon, Mathias Pala, to become a free agent.

Pala’s departure will free up some cash under the salary cap as the club possibly prepare to soften the blow of key absentees.

Another early season casualty wingman Tom Armstrong (broken hand) joins Gregg McNally (knee), Bob Beswick (Achilles) and Willie Tonga (knee) on the long term injury list.

Greg Worthington (shoulder), Reni Maitua (cheekbone), Andrew Dixon (arm) and Martyn Ridyard (rib cartilage) are not certain to face London Broncos at Leigh Sports Village on Sunday, kick-off 3pm.

Skipper Mickey Higham is also managing an on-going heel issue.

“As it stands we haven’t got one centre in the club so Adam Higson will do that role again,” explained Jukes.

“What we do with the other spot depends on whether Greg Worthington comes through or not.

“We are doing it hard at the moment so we have got to keep grinding results out.

“The next option is loans which we will seriously look at.

“We have also guys out on loan we might have to call back but again there are clauses in the contract and not something that can happen in a day.”

On the plus side vice-captain Cory Paterson is set to make his Championship debut after missing the first two games of the season.

Sunday’s opponents, London Broncos, boast a 100 percent record courtesy of beating divisional newcomers, Oldham and Swinton.

n Email all sports reports and pictures to: mike.critchley@nqnw.co.uk