What a year! : Sun May 28, 2023 11:30 am  

Exactly one year ago, Leigh provided my brother and I, one of the most memorable days of our lives, beating a high flying Featherstone in the AB Sundecks 1895 Cup at White Hart Lane. At the time Blake Ferguson was newly arrived and Lachlan was still some months from joining the team. This game would be the turning point in the season and what some people have argued that the best Championship team ever assembled would go on and win the League title and the Grand Final.

The team was assembled with a huge number of overseas players, due to the issues of shortage of British talent available. This team would need to be dis-assembled in order to comply with Super League rules. Several favourites would depart the team, including Sam Stone, Adam Sidlow, Krisnan Inu, Blake Ferguson, Nene McDonald, and Mark Ioane.

20th October 2022, Leigh Centurions rebranded to the much derided Leigh Leopards, and the incoming players for the 2023 Super League season were announced:
Zak Hardaker, Ricky Leutele, Tom Briscoe, Matt Davis, Jacob Gannon, Oliver Holmes, Aaron Smith, Nathan Wilde, Jack Hughes, Gareth O'Brien and Robbie Mulhearn.
The standout signings appeared to Zak Hardaker and Ricky Leutele. Apart for them it appeared to a ragtag band of mis-fits, and veterans thought to be past their sell by date. The goal was to avoid relegation, but Super League is a hard competition to break into and 3 previous attempts had resulted in relegation. The new squad in some ways looked less strong than the 2022 Championship team. The loss of the best Wing combination I have ever seen at Leigh, replaced by the gnarly veterans Charnley and Briscoe, looked like a step backwards.

This week saw the Leopards record a 6th straight win in all competitions against the top of the table Warrington Wolves. I am curious as to which players have most impressed this season.

Re: What a year! : Sun May 28, 2023 11:55 am  

Charnley by a country mile for me. He looked absolutely shot as a player last year and I could not understand why we had signed him. Watching him now he looks like a player re-born. I am absolutely chuffed for him and delighted to admit that I got it wrong.

By the way - all subjective as it is - the turning point for last season for me was one of the immediate games before the 1895 Cup Final and that was the away game at Batley when we posted 50 and nilled them on Mount Doom. This was the same Batley team who Fev struggled to beat all season. To me, that was a result that was a real statement of 'watch out' to everyone else in the division.

Re: What a year! : Mon May 29, 2023 3:09 am  

For me it has to be,
Ben Reynolds
Gareth O’Brien
I’ve always liked Ben’s desire and work rate but thought he lacked that little extra something to make it as a top 6 at SL level. Well this season he has added the extra by getting himself into amazing physical condition and is now clearly a first choice who compliments Lam and the whole team.
O’Brien was a player that I actually did wonder if he was passed his best and would end up being a squad player, who would be a good stand-in when needed. He has however become one of the most penetrating and reliable fullbacks in SL. He is also another that looks in really fantastic shape (a common theme in our team) and as fast as I can ever remember.
The real key is how so many of the new players have performed beyond what many people believed they would.
My biggest worry was actually Zak H. I wondered if he was going to be able to capture his previous best, especially if he wasn’t playing in his so called preferred position of fullback. Well he has certainly raised his game and intensity in the last 6-8 games, and looks to be really enjoying his rugby at centre.
The other great thing about this team is key players who are playing great but will be even better as the season progresses. Lam and O’Donnell spring most to mind but ai think Big Ben will be a force once back and match fit. He really looked like he was growing into an impact prop right when he got the injury. He will be chomping at the bit when fully fit.

Re: What a year! : Mon May 29, 2023 8:58 pm  

Leigh are breaking so many barriers this season and breaking so many club SL (Gold) records on the way that Bongser feels compelled to (only slightly) misqoute Joe Walsh:

"They say we're crazy but we have a good time; life's been good this season so far."

Now, Joe'd fill LSV - especially if he brought the remaining members of The Eagles with him - pipe dream!

It's not just the rejuvenated players (though well done to them for buying in to the dream). Leigh have brought in some (talented) proven bad boys (Blake & Zak notably) but they knuckled under, behaved like choirboys and as a result sang from the same collective hymnsheet.

It's well documented that your correspondent is a worriter and, with good reason, he will be interested in how Wakefield fare next Sunday . Should Leigh win (nothing is a given in SL), Bongser may, just may, start to think about Vanners' fowl.

For this party, (no dis to Degsy without whom none of this would have been possible) the biggest cog in the Leigh wheel is Adrian Lam. He needs to first to be granted the freedom of Leigh and then be denied it by being (liquid) nailed to LSV for another decade or so!

Re: What a year! : Mon May 29, 2023 9:41 pm  

Joe Walsh, I thought he played on the wing for Leigh 1965–77.

Re: What a year! : Mon May 29, 2023 9:48 pm  

Septimius Severus wrote:

Joe Walsh, I thought he played on the wing for Leigh 1965–77.

The Eagles ,Glen Frey, Fantopone.

Re: What a year! : Mon May 29, 2023 11:30 pm  

Lucky I'm sane after all I've been through
(Everybody say I'm cool) (he's cool)
I can't complain, but sometimes I still do
Life's been good to me so far

Re: What a year! : Tue May 30, 2023 11:25 am  

Lammy seems to be happy. https://www.totalrl.com/adrian-lam-give ... -leopards/

Lammy seems to be happy. https://www.totalrl.com/adrian-lam-give ... -leopards/