Abram considers quitting as Martyn gives Leigh a scare

Just over a month ago they were on top of the world. They'd swept to victory in the Arriva Trains Cup Final; were top of the league; and looked all set to claim a Super League place.

Now the whole club seems to have imploded.

Thrashed out of sight by a team second bottom in the table; coach Darren Abram talks about quitting; talisman Tommy Martyn appears to have broken his arm; fans fighting amongst themselves. It was a shameful and shambolic Sunday.

Abram refuses to publicly discuss the 'problems' but does admit there are some. Whether those 'problems' are between himself and players or himself and the board, remain to be seen. But the irrefutable fact is that the Centurions are a club in trouble.

Just when they should be reaching a peak, recent performances have been the worst of the season. Two defeats and two scratchy wins in the last four games appear to have put the whole club on edge.

Where the Centurions go from here probably comes down to the decision that Abram makes about his future. All the signs on Sunday were that he was ready to walk away.

"I need to ask the board some questions, and the players have to ask themselves some questions after a performance like that," Abram said.

"I hurt when we get beaten; I hurt when I have my family at the game and I hear Leigh fans singing 'there's only one Neil Kelly;' and I hurt when certain comments come back to me from certain players and officials at the club.

"I'm a proud man and if I have gone as far as I can with Leigh, then so be it. When I see my family getting upset and the body language of some of the players, then I wonder if I'm flogging a dead horse. I know there are highs and lows in this game, but I won't accept treatment like that.

"I've earned my money since day one at Leigh but if they player aren't prepared to respond then maybe someone else should take them on. I want to get Leigh into Super League and if I'm not the man to get them there then I will walk away. They can get somebody else in and he can take them into Super League.

"I want to take Leigh up, but how much certain players want it is the question. I'm asking for their backing.

"After winning the Arriva, some of the players think that they'd made it. Bad habits have started to creep in at training, in preparation and now they're showing up on the field."

Halifax, with only four previous wins all season, could hardly believe their luck coming up against a Leigh team with an entire backline wiped out by injury and one that seems to have fallen out with itself.

Leigh haven't become a bad team overnight - but they're playing as though they have.

From the opening set it was evident that Halifax were more hungry for the win. They played with a commitment, a pride and a passion that Leigh came nowhere near matching. That, coupled with a whole catalogue of unforced errors, sent Leigh tumbling to their heaviest defeat for several years.

With less than 10 minutes left Leigh were 58-12 behind before a late flurry of tries brought a degree of respectability to the scoreboard. But the final score only masks just how poor Leigh were.

And if Martyn's career has been brought to a premature end by a third broken arm he'll want to erase this game from the memory bank. It was one of those games when the harder he tried the worst it got. To add insult to injury one attempted intercept presented Jamie Bloem with a gift and another wide pass was picked off by the speedy James Haley to sprint 90 metres.

But Martyn wasn't the only below-par performer. The entire team was packed with them.

What a baptism it must have been for Phil Jones on his debut. But despite the debacle going on around him, he looked the part. He made two neat breaks in the first half and after Martyn had gone off, took the stand-off role to spark a late flurry of tries. It was the only bright spot on a miserable afternoon.

Leigh looked a beaten side after they'd gone 8-0 down inside seven minutes to a Haley try from Pat Weisner's stabbed kick to the corner and two goals from Jamie Bloem who went on to kick 11 from 11.

Haley's second try after a 60 metres sprint and a gift touchdown for Bloem had Leigh 20-0 down after 26 minutes.

In the league game at Hilton Park in June, Halifax went 19-0 up and then lost heavily. Leigh didn't look like repeating the escape this time even though they pulled six points back when Dave McConnell dived in from dummy half and Rob Smyth added the extras.

Leigh's try didn't alter the pattern of the game as Halifax scored twice more before half time. Aussie half-back Ben Black burst through a gap to race in and Haley completed his hat-trick after going the length of the field.

With Weisner not appearing in the second half because of concussion, Black took the playmaking role and cut Leigh to pieces.

Rikki Sheriffe burst clean through to score straight after half time and while John Duffy was in the sin-bin Black and Sheriffe scored again to bring up the half century.

Martyn's long ball gave Willie Swann to chance to race in but with 18 minutes left Black completed his treble.

Leigh managed to come up with four tries in the final 10 minutes. Rookie winger Gary Rourke scored twice from close range; Duffy squirmed his way over and Swann collected his second - but all they did was give the scoreboard a flattering look.

Scorers - Halifax: Tries - Haley (5, 23, 40); Black (34, 53, 62); Sheriffe (46, 56); Bloem (26). Gls: Bloem 11/11.

Leigh: Tries - McConnell (31); Swann (58, 80); Rourke (70, 76); Duffy (78).

Gls: Smyth 3/5. Jones 0/1.

Halifax: Feehan; Sheriffe, Bunyan, Hadcroft, Haley; Weisner, Black; McDonald, Greenwood, Birchall, Farrell, Corcoran, Bloem. Subs (all used): Cantillon, Moxon, Smith, Simpson,

Leigh: Smyth; Potter, Jones, Percival, Rourke; Duffy, Martyn; Knox, McConnell, Sturm, Larder, Wilkes, Knott. Subs (all used): Rowley, Swann, Marshall, Cruckshank.

Handling errors: Halifax 9, Leigh 14.

Penalties conceded: Halifax 9, Leigh 10.

Sin-bin: Duffy (Leigh), 48 mins interference at play ball.

Half time: 6-32

Full time: 30-58

Referee: Gareth Hewer (Whitehaven).

Attendance: 1781.

Man

PHIL Jones must be wondering what he's walked into. But the way he commanded the stand-off role after Martyn's early departure was perhaps a glimpse of the future.

Magic

THE sound of the final hooter. It put us all out of our misery.

Moan

THE sight of Leigh fans fighting among themselves does nothing to improve the club's image. They have a bad name in some quarters anyway and this only adds fuel to the flames.