Cannot see a shock result coming.

York have been a disappointment this season and despite splashing the cash on some players with serious SL experience their development seems to have stalled. If anything they seem to be going backwards and are way too inconsistent to offer a realistic threat.

Even their coach James Ford is not escaping criticism from some quarters of the York fanbase who are now questionning whether his time at the club should be coming to an end. Crikey, how short are some people's memory. Its only a season or two ago that he was being hailed as the best coach in the division and also being eyed-up by SL clubs.

Jack is his usual confident self. Sunday will see nothing less than a comfortable Leigh win.

I too can see nothing other than a Leigh win, and if Featherstone lose at Barrow we win the league and probably squad rotation for the remaining games and rest anyone with any injury niggles before the play offs. The pressure is then on Featherstone and Halifax for who finishes second.

Leigh and Fev are the standout teams in the Championship. It is unlikely that Barrow, as tricky as they can be, are going to upset Fev on the Barrow midden.

The task is simple keep winning and SL is ours. Leigh put in a good performance at Newcastle with a makeshift back line. All credit to Brand and Nisbet for coming in and doing a job.

My first game in over 5 years.
Caun’t wait !!!!!!!!!!
Meeting up with BnB before the game for some pre-match libations and BS’ing.
Leigh will win, end of story.
(I’m vibrating I’m so excited)

No Reynolds Vanners so you'll get to watch Lam jnr. The squad is:

1. Caleb Aekins – sponsored by CatonLloyd Audio Visual Solutions Ltd.

3. Keanan Brand – sponsored by Homes Together Ltd.

5. Tom Nisbet – sponsored by Bents Garden Centre Ltd.

7. Joe Mellor – sponsored by RM Couriers.

8. Adam Sidlow – sponsored by A.D.S. Marquees.

9. Aaron Smith – sponsored by Ask Platt Office Supplies Ltd.

10. Mark Ioane – sponsored by HyrdaMed (Farmigea)

11. Joe Wardle – sponsored by Elvis Eckardt Recruitment & Sales Ltd.

12. Sam Stone – sponsored by ADW Electrical and EV Ltd.

13. Tom Amone – sponsored by Homes Together Ltd.

14. Chris Green – sponsored by AB Sundecks.

16. Ed Chamberlain – sponsored by Cloud 4 Computers Ltd.

17. Jacob Jones – sponsored by CDA Business Services Ltd.

18. John Asiata – sponsored by The Centurion Pub.

21. Edwin Ipape – sponsored by Leigh Fans.

23. Krisnan Inu – sponsored by Impact Insurance.

24. Kai O’Donnell – sponsored by Paul Lester Transport Ltd.

26. Blake Ferguson – sponsored by Homes Together Ltd.

27. Josh Charnley – sponsored by Elvis Eckardt Recruitment & Sales Ltd.

30. Lachlan Lam – sponsored by Elvis Eckardt Recruitment & Sales Ltd.

That is an impressive squad. When Ben is fit, it is going to be a tough choice for 6, but I’m looking forward to seeing Lachlan play in the flesh.
My last game was St Helens, at LSV, when we beat ‘em in 2017. That was also my Dads very last game before he passed a couple of weeks later. An emotional return for me in many ways but I’m buzzing to see the lads play, and for my Canadian wife to see her first ever Leigh game in person.
Also very excited to meet the great Bongser and hopefully Charlie Carroli before the game.

VL, hope that you enjoy the game. Good to see that you are meeting-up with Bongser and possibly Charlie before the game.

I see that York are struggling with injuries and are down to the bare bones of their squad. They are struggling to name a match day 17. I suspect that there may be one or two tactical withdrawals as well as important players are rested for future games when they may have more realistic prospects of success.

I hope that I am wrong but I am getting the feeling that tomorrow's game could be a bit of an anti-climatic walk-over. We shall see. As I said, I hope that I am wrong because I have every intention of going to the game as well.

Thanks Jack. The lads will play whatever is in front of them and do it in what has become an almost trademark ruthless professionalism. The York squad does look very thin, but those stepping in will have a chance to stake a claim, so always a potentially dangerous early stage in the game that will need to be managed and overcome.
Regardless of the score, I will be smiling to be back in my second home.
Enjoy the game Jack, and everyone.
Up The Comics !

York are further hindered by not being able to field Ata Hingano. Pity, we might have been able to say our farewells. Just placed Bongser's most bullish GUESS of the season on SuperLeigh Predictor - home win by 64!

Bongser will get his coat!

Well, with York struggling to raise 17 players, I'm going for Leigh 72 York nil. Hopefully, if we make it to SL, we will see more competitive games. The Champ has just been a 2 horse race. Fax are pushing Fev for 2nd place but can't see them doing it now. It will be the same next season with Toulouse and either Fev or Leigh. Hopefully, IMG will increase teams in SL and make the Champ more even.

Hmmm.

The only niggling thing for me is the use of Seven Nation Army. There was a point when it seemed each played had selected their own song to be played when they scored. Now I appreciate we have the Leigh Cheerleaders back but variety is the spice of life and surely they can do a few routines and wonderful back flip displays to different beats?

And if LSV wish to be consider a proper, professional and sterile stadium like every other is now, with the security wands and their temperamental QR readers and card only kiosks, then the least they can do is check all the seats for bird poo.

Mellor was playing like a man possessed in attack and defence.

Ioane was a beast and a half, clearly drinking whatever Joe had had.

Full commitment from everyone.

York were no slouches, there weren't any easy tries scored, just some wonderful complete team rugby, epitomised by the full length final try, everyone was backing everyone else up.

I just wish Josh would back himself to run the line once in a while rather than coming inside.

Otherwise I don't think even the harshest critic could find fault with today's rampage.

IMG’s first and foremost advice will be sustaining financial security. That won’t come at present with a 14 team SL. IMG will be looking long term not short. Don’t be surprised if the advice given is to reduce SL to 10.

Despite other things, Mrs Lincoln, did you enjoy the performance?

Nice to see you back, A.

We did a ton , pretty sure this is a record , I remember in my old programmes the last one was 92 or 96 vs Keighley

92-2 v Keighley, record victory margin and record high score today, as well as a club goal kick record for Inu.

Was a pleasure to witness that today! Really enjoyed it.

I was at the game , I just cant remember the score , if i remember right it was 1990 ? You have a better memory than me . Back in the days of Barry larger , Allan Platt , Ian Jefferies, Chris Johnson , Kerr , Collier , Cottrell .

1986

You beat me to it, it was 1986. One of Des Drummond's last games for Leigh. One thing in common with the 1986 92-2 win and today's game is that I missed both. The children insisted on being brought to Jodrell Bank today. Despite missing the historic victory we're clued up on all things radio astronomy.

Second bit bang on, first bit a tad out!



As per usual, Bongser gets very few points.

Knew there was a “beat the clock, point a minute” performance in this Leigh team, but as the TON beckoned it would have been exciting for the first time had Bongser not been seeing the whole game through Vancouver Leyther’s eyes - what a match to pick for his first in five years. Delighted for him - just as sound a bloke in the flesh as he comes across as in “virtuality.”

Ah it was a Grand Day Out, Gromit!

haha whats 4 years



I was only 10 , so a long long time ago

Wow. Wasn’t expecting a score like that, even if York had injury problems, it still takes a brilliant performance to put a score like that up. Vanners needs to stay in the Uk and watch every game if that is what happens when he goes.

It was a Wednesday night in April near the end of the season in 85/6 with Chris Johnson kicking 15 goals and one season wonder Australian Steve Halliwell scoring 5 tries out of an amazing 49 for the season.

Ok, here's my take on what happened this afternoon. Firstly, and here is where I come across as a bit of a killjoy, I think it is wrong to overlook one or two important factors in the result. So, firstly the caveats before the celebration of the brilliance.

This was not a full strength York team. It was hit by injuries and unavailability. By all accounts they were struggling to put a match day 17 together. It was a bare bones selection bereft of several senior players with considerable SL experience.

Secondly, York are playing badly at the moment. They are clearly a team without confidence. Their recent form has been poor. A much stronger York team on paper lost last week to Bradford, yes, Bradford. If ever there was a worrying sign as to where you are at as a team at present then it is a loss to Bradford.

Thirdly, there are better teams still to play this season. Opponents will be more physical than York and the games will be quicker with much faster and harder defences lining up to kill space and slow the play the ball. Core skills will be much better tested than today. Those will be games where decision making will have to be split second fast and accurate. Today, time on the ball was leisurely. Lets not kid ourselves as to York's limitations.

Despite all this, poor teams, and York were a poor team today, have to be put to the sword. Leigh had not done this all season, until today. Regularly putting 50 or 60 points on opponents in recent weeks has masked the fact that we have not been playing at our very best. Just listen to our coach's post match interviews every week. He has not been satisfied, often assessing dominant performances as no better than 7 out of 10's. So, today, the result and performance has been coming but, boy did it come with a bang.

This Leigh team has so much quality and for me, they have just not been getting close to where I feel they can be. However today, the handbrake was clearly off from the first minute. There were off-loads a plenty and the ball was being given some serious air time in some of the passing moves. Support play was great and the game was played at an amazing pace combined with a brutal physicality

This was one of the best attacking displays I have ever seen from the cherry and whites. More worryingly for our future opponents this season I don't think that we have either finished improving or finished demolishing sides.

Our half backs were superb today. When did we last say that, if ever. VL on this forum has been raving on about Lam junior and today I think that we got more of a sighting of what we can come to expect. He looks very tasty and given the position he plays in he will be pivotal in what we do in the play-offs.

Some rival fans have looked at our results over the past few weeks and concluded, from a distance, that form wise Leigh have plateaued. I don't think we have at all. We have been bedding a new player into a key position and it seems to be coming off. Today we played total rugby from all over the pitch and there were very few errors.

We are moving forwards and we are getting better as a team. Everyone else in this division, watch out, Leigh are no longer just a brutally efficient one trick pony who will beat you with their physicality and speed through the middle. Today we saw an exclusive of a very impressive plan B. Future opponents watching today's showing would have found it just a little bit scary. There are very few crumbs of comfort or grounds for optimism for them to take from viewing this afternoon's total rugby performance.

All in all, things seem to be coming together quite nicely. Bring on the play-offs.

Little did we really know that the result today would be as good as the song we heard in the pre-game hostelry


In the far flung igloos of the Great North I get little chance to talk with great Leythers or see our great team. Today I did both and neither disappointed. Bongser and Charlie, it was a true pleasure that we will have to repeat.
To all at Leigh Rugby, you’ve made an ever aging Leyther very happy. And all was done wearing the “Shit Shirt” from last years bash, with my dearly departed Dads name on the back.
A Grand Day Out indeed.

Very impressive result.

Somewhat confused though, how can you field so many overseas players?

If/when you get promoted to SL next season what will team look like? Not many in the squad that could make the step up other than the dozen that need to fit into seven for next year.