Leigh save worst for last

Mike Hulme reports from Ram Stadium

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S the pressure getting to the Centurions? That's the big question most fans will be asking after seeing Leigh save their worst for last.

Two defeats in six days, two red cards, two yellows, one on report - it's not the sort of record you want to be taking into a play-off preliminary semi-final.

But coach Paul Terzis doesn't accept that the pressure of expectation is affecting the Centurions.

"We are all disappointed with the way the season has finished but I can assure the fans that each and every player believes we have the ability to beat Huddersfield and win the Grand Final," he said.

"We go into every game wanting to win. But the two games we've played in the last week (Hull KR and Dewsbury) the opposition needed the victories more than we did. They had the desire and the enthusiasm.

"I can't knock my players' efforts. But in each game we made too many mistakes and made things easy for the opposition.

"We won't be short of desire or enthusiasm when we play Huddersfield, rest assured."

But the bottom line is what psychological scars will have been left by these two defeats, especially the shocker at Ram Stadium. If the Giants weren't confident of regaining their Super League place before, they will be after seeing this.

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eigh had a nightmare afternoon against an injury-hit side containing six teenagers. Their completion rate was poor, they were kicked to death by a rookie scrum-half, defended badly at times and rarely looked like breaking down the Rams rearguard.

And just to compound matters they had Vila Matautia sent off and Bobbie Goulding sin-binned as their frustrations boiled over in the second half.

Leigh should have known they were in for a hard time as the Rams came out of the blocks like an Olympic sprinter and had two tries on the board inside seven minutes.

Scrum-half Danny Brough set the tone for the game when he launched a diagonal bomb in the fourth minute, Jamie Benn outjumped Leon Fleton and winger George Mack strolled in at the corner.

The first of three 40/20s from Brough set up Dewsbury's second try. With Leigh's defence in a tangle, Chris Redfern squeezed in at the corner. Benn added both goals off either touchline and Leigh were 12-0 down.

Leigh never recovered from their shocking start but did manage to halve the deficit in the 13th minute - but they needed a stroke of luck. Simon Svabic's bomb took a wicked bounce over the Rams' tryline and as two Dewsbury defenders stood and debated the issue, Neil Turley nipped in to score and then add on the extras.

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couple of minutes later Dave Bradbury lost possession as he stretched for the line. That was as close as Leigh were to get until well into the second half.

Benn edged Dewsbury further in front with a field goal and at 13-6 Leigh would still have fancied their chances of pulling it round in the second half.

But with the game deep into stoppage time, Leigh's defence slipped up again and Redfern sent Mack in for his second try. Benn goaled from out wide and Leigh were left with a mountain to climb at 19-6 down.

The deficit increased early in the second half with a Brough field goal before Leigh lost the plot completely.

Rams' sub Matt Roberts had only been on the field two minutes when he hit the deck, poleaxed by a left hook from Vila Matautia. The Centurions prop was red carded and Goulding followed him for 10 minutes after speaking out of turn to referee Colin Morris.

Leigh were left with 12 men for 30 minutes and 11 for 10 minutes yet, strangely, produced some of their best stuff when numerically disadvantaged.

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n the 53rd minute they gave themselves a glimmer of hope when John Hamilton - unquestionably Leigh's best performer in the unaccustomed loose-forward role - broke free and set up a try for Paul Anderson. Turley goaled for 12-20.

But any hope of a comeback were virtually ended just after the hour when Benn's kick to the corner saw Mack beat Eric Andrews on the outside to make it 24-12.

Goulding's solo try from a scrum 10 yards out and Turley's third successful conversion, gave Leigh another chance but when Benn put over his second field goal with 10 minutes left, Leigh were just about finished.

Dewsbury sub Jim Elston put the final nail in the coffin in injury time when he scattered a lethargic defence to score from dummy half.

Match facts

Scorers - Leigh: Tries - Turley (13 mins), Anderson (53), Goulding (68). Gls: Turley 3/3.

Dewsbury: Tries - Mack (4, 40, 61), Redfearn (7), Elston (80). Gls: Benn 3/7. FG's: Benn (2), Brough.

Leigh: Turley; Felton, Anderson, McCully, Andrews; Svabic, Goulding; Knox, Rowley, Whittle, Bradbury, Isherwood, Hamilton. Subs: Swann (for Rowley 61), Ball (for Knox 31), Bristow (for Bradbury 57), Matautia (for Whittle 24), Knox (for Ball 61), Whittle (for Isherwood 71).

Dewsbury: Batty; Mack, Redfern, Chapman, Flynn; Benn, Brough; Fella, Lindsay, Hicks, Kirke, Hardy, Slater. Subs: Fawkes (for Chapman 60), Elston (for Hardy 55), Parker (for Roberts 48), Roberts (for Hicks 46).

Sent Off: Matautia (48mins, punching)

Sin-bin: Chapman (Dewsbury, obstruction 22), Goulding (Leigh, dissent 48).

Penalties conceded: Leigh 5, Dewsbury 6.

Handling errors: Leigh 14, Dewsbury 4.

Referee: Colin Morris (Huddersfield).

Attendance: 1111

Man

rJOHN Hamilton worked his socks off in the unaccustomed loose-forward spot. Pity some of those around him didn't work as hard.

Magic

rTHE sound of the final hooter. At least it put Leigh and their fans out of their misery.

Moan

rTHE signs of petulance Leigh are starting to show when things don't go their own way.