Sheffield Eagles 29 Leigh Centurions 28 (From Leigh Journal)

Sheffield Eagles 29 Leigh Centurions 28

5:12pm Thursday 26th August 2010 in

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LEIGH needed a point from their final league game to make sure of a third place finish and that is exactly what they got from a competitive game in constant rain at impressive Bramall Lane.

Centurions should have put the hosts to bed in the first half but a poor second quarter saw Leigh trail at the interval.

Leigh started confidently enough with Dave McConnell, John Duffy and Robbie Paul finding Stuart Donlan down the right only for Papua New Guinea International Menzie Yere to crunch the full back.

Eagles looked nervous and Leigh made it count, pouncing on an Alex Szostak mistake and human bowling ball Mick Nanyn skittling two defenders on a crashing run to the line.

Nanyn could not convert but Leigh looked the better team as Jimmy Taylor charged down a Simon Brown kick and Chris Hill was held up over the try line.

A lapse in concentration then saw Sheffield respond.

Yere angled back into the middle before his offload found Misi Taulapapa. He stepped Hill and forged his way to the try line for Brown to goal.

A Brendon Lindsay 40-20 kept the pressure on Leigh and the video referee ruled in the Centurions favour after Ryan Hepworth ran in.

Minutes later, Paul dipped into his box of tricks with a run and smart kick for Lee Mitchell to ground. Nanyn got his goal tally moving and Centurions led 10-6.

Then mistakes came and Sheffield capitalised. Tim Bergin escaped from his own in-goal area from Duffy’s kick and Brown was able to launch a massive boot down field.

Matty Blythe lost the ball and from the scrum Brown linked with Tangi Ropati for the centre to show his class and Bergin scampered in at the corner to tie the game.

Donlan then spilled a gilt edged chance after 32 minutes after Martyn Ridyard and Paul had opened the defence.

Leigh attempted a last tackle raid down the right. Paul used the space and Blythe kicked on, only for Taulapapa to sweep up, beat Mitchell’s tackle and roar 90 metres to the posts, while Steve Maden felt he was taken out in back play. After several views from the video referee, the try stood, and Brown made it 16-10.

Brown then fed Taulapapa and he slipped through the Leigh defence to claim his hat-trick and a 22-10 half-time advantage.

The second half was much better for the Centurions and they opened the scoring after 47 minutes when Duffy followed up his own grubber kick.

Duffy’s clever scissors pass then found an unstoppable Nanyn from 10 metres and the centre claimed his 19th try of the season and levelled matters with the conversion.

Despite forcing a drop out, Centurions could not take advantage and Eagles crucially got down field again on the back of a penalty for Taulapapa to get Craig Cook over by the posts after 67 minutes.

Brown converted to make it 28-22 and then he added a drop goal but Leigh continued to the last and were rewarded when McConnell sent Bibey striding over for his first try of the season, which Nnayn converted.

It was not quite enough to win but Leigh had their point in the bag and will face Sheffield again in the play-offs at home.

Leigh: Stuart Donlan, Steve Maden, Matty Blythe, Mick Nanyn (2t 4g), Adam Higson; John Duffy (1t), Robbie Paul; Chris Hill, Dave McConnell, Ricky Bibey (1t), James Taylor, Tyrone McCarthy, Lee Mitchell (1t). Subs: Martyn Ridyard, David Armitstead, Tommy Goulden, Mike Morrison.

Attendance: 1,243