Featherstone Rovers 28 Leigh Centurions 6: Featherstone bring title rivals to their knees
It is only the second game of the new Betfred Championship season but already there was an air of expectancy around this fixture between the two competition favourites.
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Hide AdEmphatric Featherstone, despite losing star centre Joey Leilua and Josh Hardcastle to first half hamstring injuries, eventually had too much class, grit and, most importantly, discipline for opponents who are desperate to make an immediate return to Super League.
Played in filthy conditions at Post Office Road, Brian McDermott’s side - led superbly by James Lockwood once more - controlled the ball far better, especially in the second period when protecting a 16-0 lead.
Ill-disciplined Leigh, who lost ex-Hull FC prop Chris Green to a suspected broken arm early on, will rue seeing two players sin-binned in as many minutes in the first period.
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Hide AdAdmittedly, despite being down to 11 men, it ironically led to their best period of the game but they simply could not breach the steely Featherstone defence.
Toiling under-manned in the mud, it would always cost them later on, and so it proved as McDermott’s side, with Junior Moors and Jack Bussey excellent up front, turned the screw in front of a bumper crowd of 4,562.
Featherstone, who had four changes to the squad that defeated York City Knights last week, were 16-0 up after scoring three tries inside the opening 31 minutes.
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Hide AdEx-Canberra Raiders star Leilua took little time to make his mark on debut, producing some wonderful footwork, a big bump-off and then a brilliant flick pass to set Luke Bricoe up for the opening try in the 12th minute.
Unfortunately, the Samoa international limped off soon after but it did not stop his team-mates advancing.
Moors slipped a pass out for Ben Hellewell to set Craig Hall racing down the left, Morgan Smith supporting for his second try in as many games.
Then came Leigh’s self-implosion.
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Hide AdJames McDonnell was yellow-carded for a tip tackle on Connor Jones in the 27th minute and, just seconds later, Ben Reynolds, the former Wakefield Trinity half-back who grew up just down the road in Castleford, also saw yellow.
That was for a needless, late shot on a tackled player and, after turning down the opportunity for an easy two points, Featherstone capitalised with that third try.
Dane Chisholm - who came in along with Hellewell, Leilua and debutant Adam Cuthberston - hoisted a crossfield kick to exploit the numerical advantage, Hall collecting on the full to score his second try in as many games.
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Hide AdHe could not convert but, still, you expected his side to further ram home their advantage.
Instead, though, they invited their opponents in with a catalogue of errors and ill-discipline and spent the rest of the half camped on their own line.
It was only a combination of their excellent defence - Jon Davies’ shuddering tackle, for instance, forcing the ball free from Joe Mellor - and Leigh remaining error-prone that meant their line remained intact.
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Hide AdIt was crucial that they did, though. It allowed them to build in the second period and, when the hapless Kieran Dixon spilled a pass in front of his own posts, Davies, with a touch of fortune, got over from acting-half in the 63rd minute.
Hall improved again and, though Leigh finally broke them via Nene MacDonald with 12 minutes remaining, it was Featherstone who fittingly had the last word, former Bradford Bulls full-back Brandon Pickersgill capping a fine display in the mud with an excellent solo score.
Featherstone Rovers: Pickersgill; Briscoe, Leilua, Hellewell, Hall; Smith, Chisholm; Cooper, Wildie, Lockwood, Moors, Hardcastle, Bussey. Substitutes: C Jones, Davies, Field, Cuthbertson.
Leigh Centurions: Aekins; Nisbet, Brand, MacDonald, Dixon; Reynolds, Mellor; Green, Smith, Amone, Wardle, Stone, Asiata. Substitutes: Hingano, Ione, McDonnell, J Jones.
Referee: Robert Hicks (Oldham)