Centurions show enough quality to win crucial points

THERE were times in the sultry heat of Belle Vue that Leigh looked a class apart. Yet there were others when they looked more like selling platers rather than thoroughbreds.

Although it was something of a mixed bag from the Centurions, overall they can feel well satisfied with their afternoon's labours in the Dragons' sweatshop.

Leigh have had their ups and downs this season, but all the indications on Sunday are that the Centurions are ready to march again.

They may have made things difficult for themselves by allowing the Dragons to claw their way back to within two points on three occasions, but at other times Leigh were miles ahead of their opponents.

"We contributed to each of Doncaster's three tries and if we can eliminate those things out of our game, we can go on to achieve our goal," says coach Paul Terzis.

"Defensively we handled most of their threats. We were a bit more clinical than them and at some stages we were miles in front of them. Our professionalism got us across the finishing line. We stuck to a pretty rigid game plan and although we wandered off it a couple of times, we had the character to get things back on track."

Leigh handled Doncaster's big, aggressive pack with distinction. Intimidation may be the norm at the Dragon's self-styled House of Pain but after two successive defeats at Belle Vue in the last two years, Leigh were ready.

"Our forwards were magnificent," Terzis acknowledged. "They not only stood up to the challenge, they were good enough to play the Doncaster forwards off the park."

Alongside the two NFP points that lifted Leigh back into third place in the table, it will be the performance of Vila Matautia that will bring significant satisfaction.

Whether it was down to the fact that Matautia got significant game time - he was on the pitch for the best part of an hour - or that he was on a return visit to his first English club, that bottom line was that he made the sort of impact Leigh have been waiting for all season.

And with Simon Baldwin back to full fitness and in good form after a hand injury, Leigh had two intimidating characters of their own. Yet neither could quite match the massive contribution made by skipper Adam Bristow. His first hat-trick for the club may have sealed the win but it was his all-round excellence that helped Leigh to a position from which they could strike and inflict the Dragon's first home league defeat for five months.

And with Neil Turley out with a knee injury for some time yet, Simon Svabic's contribution at full-back which brought him a try, five goals and a field goal, will have cemented his place as a capable deputy.

It was also a case of going full circle for match referee Colin Morris who, in the corresponding fixture last season, was criticised by Leigh as they went down to a last minute try. This time it was Dragons' coach Ian St John Ellis who was breathing fire.

St John Ellis claimed Matautia should have been red carded for an early high tackle in Jamie Fielden. "Some of the decisions left me gobsmacked," he complained.

Opposite number Terzis had some sympathy. "It was a bit of a lottery out there at times with some of the decisions."

But despite both teams' frustrations they managed to produce a game of real quality.

Both sides had tries disallowed - Chris Irwin for a foot in touch and Jason Lee for offside - before Leigh took the lead in the eighth minute with a classic counter-attack started by Andy Isherwood and continued by Phil Kendrick and Willie Swann and finished by Bristow. Svabic converted for a 6-0 lead.

Johnny Woodcock pulled a couple back after Matautia had dropped Fielden but it was soon 10-2 when the alert Paul Rowley attacked Doncaster's blind side and Jon Roper smashed his way through three defenders.

A rare mistake by Dave Bradbury gave Doncaster good field position. They didn't waste it with second rower Tony Atter going through for a try at the side of the posts.

The pattern was set for a match that ebbed and flowed, the sides virtually trading try for try right until the last to minutes when Leigh held their nerve and finished the Dragons off.

Rowley forced an error by Chris Ross just before half time and when Swann was held a fraction short, Svabic dived over from dummy half to make it 16-8.

Doncaster fed off another Leigh error in the 44th minute, Dale Cardoza scooping a loose ball into the arms of Lee who beat Kendrick and Svabic on a 40 metre run to the line. Woodcock added the goal to put the Dragons back to within two points.

From the re-start Maea David handed possession back to Leigh and four passes later Bristow was spinning out of a couple of tackles for his second try.

22-14 quickly became 22-20 when Leigh got in a mess under Cardoza's crossfield bomb, Ross applying the scoring touch.

Leigh pulled clear again on the hour when a quick tap penalty and break from Swann, had Doncaster on the back foot. They never recovered as John Duffy forced his way over for a four-pointer.

Cardoza lost possession in a two man tackle under Leigh's posts but within 60 seconds Svabic had potted a field goal to open up a crucial seven-point cushion.

Leigh showed their class in the final minutes, Bristow cutting through to complete his hat-trick and Svabic adding a last minute penalty to the conversion.

Match Facts

SCORERS: Leigh - Tries: Bristow (8, 46, 77); Roper (21), Svabic (30), Duffy (59). Gls: Svabic 5/7. FG Svabic.

Doncaster - Tries: Atter (27), Lee (44), Ross (50). Gls: Woodcock 4/4.

Leigh: Svabic; Irwin, Kendrick, Roper, McCully; Duffy, Swann; Matautia, Rowley, Bradbury, Baldwin, Isherwood, Bristow. Subs: Knox (for Matautia 52), Hamilton (for Rowley 32); Morley (for Isherwood 65), Whittle (for Bradbury 26); Matautia (for Knox 76), Rowley (for Hamilton 60), Bradbury (for Whittle 69).

Doncaster: Ross; Woodcock, Golden, Garcia, Lee; Cardoza, Handley; Handforth, Edwards, Fielden, Atter, Ostler, David. Subs: Colton (for Green 61), Lawton (for Golden 54), Green (for Buckenham BB 36), Buckenham (for Handforth 26), Handforth (for Atter 57), Atter (for Handforth 68).

Sin-Bin: Cardoza - Doncaster (dissent 59).

Penalties conceded: Leigh 6, Doncaster 7.

Handling Errors: Leigh 13, Doncaster 8.

Referee: Colin Morris (Huddersfield).

Attendance: 1182.

Man of the match

rTOP class efforts from the likes of Matautia, Baldwin, Rowley and Svabic but for sheer quality for the full 80 minutes you can't get beyond Adam Bristow.

Moan of the match

rST John Ellis's touchline rantings in an effort to get Matautia sent off. What's that about glass houses and throwing stones...

Magic Moment

rADAM Bristow's hat-trick try just before the end. Judging by his reaction it obviously meant a lot to him.