SWANN LAKE

Centurions...32

Sheffield Eagles...0

Mike Hulme reports

from Hilton Park

I

T may have been weather for ducks but for the Centurions it was also perfect for a Swann!

Scrum-half Willie Swann was in imperious form as Sheffield were contemptuously blown away by a Leigh side that re-asserted their status as major NFP challengers.

Although Leigh say they are still in the market for a half-back, Swann's current form may ultimately save them a bob or two.

Punishing in defence, direct, effective and visionary in attack, Swann was one of several stand-out performers in a quality Leigh effort. The little scrum-half brought the house down with his 60-metre solo special and played a big part in two of Leigh's other tries.

He dovetailed magnificently with stand-off John Duffy who helped set up other touchdowns for Paul Rowley and Phil Kendrick. Along with loose-forward Adam Bristow and hooker Rowley, Leigh had a midfield quartet that orchestrated everything from first minute to last.

Second rower Chris Morley was another key figure on Leigh's right flank with Simon Svabic giving another assured and confident display at full-back as he continues to deputise for Neil Turley.

While coach Paul Terzis was delighted with Leigh's attacking qualities in the heavy going, it was the defensive zero that gave him most pleasure.

"We've been working hard on the defensive side of our game and it's looking as though that hard work is paying off. I can't see how you can improve on a nil in defence - only go out the following week and try to do it again.

"A lot of things we've been working on in attack also came off for us. We scored 32 points today against a decent side, I just wonder what it would have been had it been dry," mused the Leigh boss.

E

ven opposing coach Mark Aston was at pains to praise Leigh rather than criticise his own side. "We won the battle in the first 20 minutes but Leigh are such a good side with a number of players who wouldn't be out of place in Super League, and we just couldn't compete with them."

The Eagles began the day in fifth place but quickly discovered that life can be tough at the top. They held Leigh for the first quarter but after Rowley had scored the first of five tries, the Centurions took a stranglehold on the game they were never to lose.

Sheffield's cause wasn't helped by a nasty looking injury to centre Craig Brown who was stretchered off in a neck brace following an innocuous looking clash in the first half.

"We did lose our shape after Craig went off," Aston admitted.

But at the time of Brown's injury Leigh were 8-0 up and had already laid the foundations for a third straight win since the NFP programme resumed after its mid-season shut down.

Svabic broke the deadlock in the 18th minute when he slotted over a penalty. Within three minutes Leigh had finally found a way through a tenacious Eagles defence; Duffy holing up a short pass perefctly for Svabic to burst clear and send the supporting Rowley scampering in and round to the posts for a six-pointer.

S

wann lit up the game when he shot clean through a startled Eagles defence from a scrum 10 metres inside his own half. Paddling furiously through the mud, Swann beat Andy Poynter and Ian Thompson in a race to the posts. Svabic goaled for 14-0.

Just before half time Swann was in the thick of the action again, drilling a kick forward that re-bounded kindly and enabled Simon Baldwin to send Jon Roper in. In stoppage time it needed a timely tackle from Thompson to send winger Chris Irwin sprawling into touch as Leigh ended the half in dominant mood.

Svabic's 45th minute penalty kept the scoreboard ticking over and not long afterwards Swann was the pivotal figure in Leigh's fourth try, his cut-out pass picked out centre Kendrick who slithered in at the corner. Svabic's radar boot put the Centurions well clear at 26-0.

The Eagles dug in a made things tough for Leigh but the home side were happy to build pressure through an improved kick-chase game and some solid forward surges.

The pressure finally paid off when Duffy launched Kendrick from deep and the impressive centre charged clear for his second of the game to give Svabic his sixth successful kick.

Match Facts

SCORERS: Leigh - Tries: Kendrick (53, 72); Rowley (21), Swann (35), Roper (38). Gls: Svabic 6/8.

LEIGH: Svabic; Irwin, Kendrick, Roper, McCully; Duffy, Swann; Whittle, Rowley, Bradbury, Baldwin, Morley, Bristow. Subs: Isherwood (for Roper 54), Price (for Bristow 63); Ball (for Bradbury 34), Matautia (for Whittle 26), Whittle (for Matautia 65), Bradbury (for Ball 68).

EAGLES: Poynter; Breakingbury, Brown I, Brown C, Thompson; Brown G, Rhodes; Docherty, Callaghan, Trasler, Kershaw, Goddard, Flynn. Subs: Tillyer (for Brown C 30), Brent (for Docherty HT), Howieson (Trasler 50), Freeman (for Kershaw HT), Kershaw (for Goddard 67); Docherty (for Callaghan 74).

Penalties conceded: Leigh 9, Sheffield 8.

Handling errors: Leigh 12, Sheffield 10.

Referee: Steve Presley (Castleford).

Attendance: 1377

Man of the match

rALTHOUGH Chris Morley was in top form against his former club, the dazzling effort of Willie Swann gets him the verdict. Overall, though, it was a top team effort.

Moan of the match

rLEIGH'S fair-weather fans who seem to have turned their back on the club. Just 1300 bothered against Sheffield. The team deserve better than that.

Magic Moment

rTHE sight of Willie Swann skating over the mud on his way to a sensational solo try that broke the Eagles' resistance.