DESPITE ending the season with two defeats, including this familiar 46-12 loss to Toronto, Leigh have secured a home game on Sunday evening to start their play-off campaign.

Featherstone Rovers will be the visitors to Leigh Sports Village with only the winners going through to stay in contention for a Super League spot.

Runners-up Toulouse will host York City Knights in the first play-off clash with the winners travelling to Toronto.

The losers will meet the winners of Leigh’s third and final game of 2019 against Featherstone.

Rovers’ earlier home defeat against Toulouse confirmed fourth place for John Duffy’s side who never threatened to inflict only a second Championship defeat of the year on Brian McDermott’s Wolfpack.

The home side scored eight tries in an ill tempered affair against replies from Kevin Brown-his second in successive games-and Ryan Brierley.

Toronto-14-8 winners when the teams met at LSV on February 24, took a 12th minute lead as Josh McCrone scored the first of his two touch downs.

Former Hull FC utility back Hakim Miloudi added a second at the start of the second quarter with a spectacular finish and Leigh were already under the cosh.

Gareth O’Brien, who finished the match with 18 points, notched try number three two minutes later before Toronto’s Gadwin Springer and Leigh’s Jacob Emmitt were sin binned.

Matty Russell grabbed a fourth with Leigh still on zero and both sides down to 12-men.

Finally, Brown escaped home shackles to put points on the board with Martyn Ridyard, restored to the side after missing the previous defeat to York, converting on his 250th game for the club.

Full-back O’Brien kicked a penalty at the start of the second half to again leave Leigh four scores behind.

And there was never likely to be a comeback as McCrone added his second try after 57 minutes.

Joe Mellor, with Toronto’s 1000th league point of the season, and Liam Kay crossed within the space of five minutes to pile on the points before Brierley replied for the visitors.

Bob Beswick, another Leigh old boy, touched down in the final seconds to complete the scoring and leave Wolfpack just 80 minutes away from the Grand Final.

Match stats:

Toronto

O’Brien; Kay, Miloudi, Leutele, Russell; Mellor, McCrone; Lussick, Ackers, Sims, Dixon, Olbison, Wilkin; substitutes: Wallace, Springer, Mullally, Beswick.

Tries: McCrone (12, 57), Miloudi (20), O’Brien (22), Russell (31), Mellor (59), Kay (64), Beswick (80)

Goals: O’Brien 7/ 9

Leigh: Brierley; McNally, Forsyth, I Thornley, Marsh; Ridyard, Brown; Douglas, Higham, Emmitt T Adamson, Thompson, L Adamson; substitutes: Hood, Cator, A. Thornley, Brooks.

Tries: Brown (35), Brierley (74)

Goals: Ridyard 2/ 2

Referee: Scott Mikalauskas;

Half time: 24-6.