A Giant mauling

Huddersfield Giants...37

L

EIGH used to believe they were the best team outside of Super League. That mantle is now worn by the Giants.

Sunday was a sobering experience for the Centurions. They weren't just beaten by Huddersfield - they were thrashed out of sight.

It's a result that will send shock-waves through the rest of the division because if Leigh can't halt the Giants' juggernaut, who can? On this evidence Huddersfield are a Super League club in disguise.

For the first time since the Hilton Park revival began just over three years ago, the Centurions were taken to the cleaners in their own back yard and with the NFP programme now suspended for two months, Leigh will have a long time to lick their wounds.

And Leigh were wounded, badly. Huddersfield dominated every area of the game. They were strong and powerful through the forwards, had two creative halves and had the pace wider out to cruelly expose the Centurions.

Leigh don't get another chance to lower the Giants' colours in the league. They must now work hard and hope to improve sufficiently to be more on an equal footing should the teams meet again in the play-offs.

Leigh needed another performance akin to their Wigan effort if they were to match the Giants. They fell well below that and suffered badly as a consequence.

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oach Paul Terzis believes that the previous week's Wigan cup tie had drained his team emotionally and physically.

"Last week was a big occasion. We had to see if we could back that up again. It was evident today that we couldn't. You could tell by some of the individuals body language that they were struggling.

"But if this club is to progress we've got be get used to playing at that intensity every week."

Terzis also pointed to the Giants' full-time status, thanks to a Super League 'parachute' payment when they were relegated, as a major advantage.

"Huddersfield are the best team in the competition and they are the yardstick that the rest of us need to measure against. They are the favourites and deserve to be favourites.

"To hold a team like us to one try was outstanding. Their one-on-one defence and tryline defence was magnificent and underlined the areas in which we need to improve.

"We didn't control things when we got within their '20' and tried to score off every play. We've got to learn to be more patient and build pressure before striking."

Leigh now go into the National League Cup competition have leaked 67 points in their last two matches, have prop Gareth Price facing suspension after being sent off and Vila Matuatia the subject of an on report charge. Perhaps the mid-season break has come at the right time, allowing Leigh eight weeks to pick their game up before the NFP resumes in June.

Leigh were only down by eight points at the break but were completely outclassed in the second half as halves Stanley Gene and Chris Thorman ran the show.

Leigh's unbeaten NFP record looked in danger when the Giants served notice of what was follow when winger Hefin O'Hare had a third minute try wiped out for a forward pass.

Former international loose-forward Steve McNamara, who along with Gene and Thorman formed a sensational midfield triangle, stamped his class on the game with an 11th minute dummy and break that led to Ben Cooper and O'Hare opening the door for Earl Crabtree to grab the first of his two tries.

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cNamara thumped over the touchline conversion and added a penalty soon afterwards when Leigh had been forced to give away a free kick when Liam Bretherton inexplicably allowed Thorman's 40/20 touchfinder to roll over the line.

The scene was set. The Giants were firmly in control and Leigh's game was to be dogged by unforced errors.

Matautia went on report when he seemed to raise a forearm into the face of tackler Jeff Wittenberg but it was only after half time that referee Russell Smith found his cards, sending four players to the sin-bin and dismissing Price.

Leigh threw themselves a lifeline when Simon Baldwin, one of the few Leigh players to come through with his reputation intact, charged down McNamara's intended clearance kick before dribbling the rolling ball 30 metres for a try.

But with three minutes to the break, Huddersfield again showed the class. Atkins, Cooper and Thorman ripped open Leigh's right-hand defence before shipping the ball wide to the left where hooker Darren Turner spun out of a couple of tackles to stretch over for a 12-4 half time lead.

Leigh needed a good start to the second half - but they didn't get it. Neil Turley talked himself into trouble after claiming he'd been bitten on the arm by Gene, McNamara putting over the resulting penalty.

Leigh's right flank defence was exposed again not long afterwards with Gene making 40 metres up the sideline before stopped by Turley and Andrews. But the damage had been done, Leigh found themselves short handed on the left and Crabtree bagged his second from Thorman's grubber.

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ussell Smith finally found his back pocket as Heath Cruckshank began the procession to the sin-bin for interference at the play the ball. He'd no sooner reached his destination before being joined by Turley for the same offence.

The real game-breaker came just after the hour when Thorman, bound for the London Broncos at the end of the season, dummied his way through Leigh's first line of defence and set off on a 60 metre sprint that ended with a try in the corner.

From there on in, Leigh's resolve crumbled away. Graeme Hallas collected another easy try when he intercepted and went over untouched. McNamara added the conversion and Thorman knocked over a one-pointer to make it 29-4.

The final five minutes brought the Giants another eight points, saw Price red carded with a punch that dropped Hallas and Rowley and Matt Walker sin-binned after a a scrap.

McNamara helped himself to another penalty and then added the extras to Hallas's second try which came after Gene had repeated his earlier touchline break.

Match Facts

SCORERS: Leigh - Try: Baldwin (32). Gls: Turley 0 from 1.

Huddersfield - Tries: Hallas (66, 80), Crabtree (11, 46), Thorman (62), Turner (37). Gls: McNamara 6 from 9. Thorman fg.

LEIGH: McCully; Bretherton, Anderson, Roper, Andrews; Turley, Swann; Matautia, Rowley, Price, Baldwin, Isherwood, Bristow. Subs: Whittle (for Isherwood 57); Hamilton (for Swann 56), Knox (for Price 26), Bradbury (for Matautia 26BB); Price (for Bradbury 70); Matautia (for Knox 67); Swann Bretherton 60).

HUDDERSFIELD: Cooper; O'Hare, Crabtree, Hallas, Whittaker; Gene, Thorman; Wittenberg, Turner, Walker, Atkins, Roberts, McNamara. Subs: Langley (for Whittaker 51); Molyneux (for Wittenberg 21 BB); March (for Molyneux 53); Cruckshank (for Walker 21); Walker (for Cruckshank HT); Cruckshank (for Walker 51).

SIN-BINNED: Cruckshank (interference 54), Turley (interference 57), Rowley (fighting 78), Walker (fighting 78).

SENT OFF: Price (striking 75).

PENALTIES CONCEDED: Leigh 12, Huddersfield 13

HANDLING ERRORS: Leigh 8, Huddersfield 10.

REFEREE: Russell Smith (Castleford).

ATTENDANCE: 4446