Leigh’s history making Super League season is over but Leopards are 80 minutes away from adding another piece of silverware to the club’s Challenge Cup final success.

A 20-6 defeat at Hull KR ended Leigh’s first ever play-off campaign but on Sunday Kieron Purtill’s side face Barrow Raiders in the Women’s Super League group two promotion play-off final at York.

And Purtill, a former head coach of the men’s side, says victory will be just reward for the commitment invested by his charges in their debut year.

Last month’s 14-12 defeat to the Cumbrians at Leigh Sports Village saw Featherstone nip in to claim the title and automatic promotion.

But Leopards bounced back to beat Salford in the play-off semi-finals and earn another shot at the Raiders.

“The girls know we have once last chance, so we have to perform,” said Purtill. “Barrow are a good team and have threats all over the field.

“Our completion rate wasn’t good enough last time. The amount of tackling we had to do, particularly in our own 30 metres, was ridiculous so, we must keep hold of the ball more.

“But the girls have risen to challenges over the season. Bear in mind, most of them played under the Leigh Miners banner and hadn’t really experienced any big games exposure.

“So, I am hoping some of that big game experience now will pay dividends. They are a good group, a level headed group.

“They have worked hard all season to give themselves the best chance of going up.”

It was a step into the unknown for the one-time St Helens and Hull FC assistant coach and Widnes head coach when he accepted his current role.

“It has been an enjoyable season though different to what I have been used to,” he said.

“The thing that has shone through has been the willingness of the girls to learn, adapt and to make sacrifices. The effort they have put in has been superb.

“Girls can now see a pathway to playing at elite level within our own town and for the first time there are role models within our squad for young girls to look upto.”

*Adrian Lam is in a four-way battle to become Super League coach of the year. Current holder, Matt Peet, Salford’s former Leigh boss, Paul Rowley, and Catalans’ Steve McNamara, are the three other contenders.

Despite guiding the then Centurions to a treble in 2022, Lam was pipped for Championship boss of the year by Barrow’s Paul Crarey.

The winners will be confirmed at the Man of Steel Awards at Emirates Old Trafford on October 10.

Lachlan Lam has capped a stellar season, including a Lance Todd Trophy winning, man of the match performance in the Challenge Cup final, by being named the Rugby League Writers’ Association’s player of the year.