Interim Head Coach Haggerty interested in Leigh job on a permanent basis but is focusing on Wakefield clash

Leigh Centurions Interim Head Coach Kurt Haggerty has said that he has an ‘ambition to be a head coach’ but hasn’t yet spoken to club owner Derek Beaumont about the role.

32-year-old Haggerty had been assistant to former manager John Duffy at the Centurions but took the helm following the Scot’s departure earlier this week. Leigh are winless in nine this campaign so far, including one Challenge Cup defeat.

A former player, the Merseyside-born player racked up 53 appearances for the club over two spells and registered 13 tries as well as featuring for Ireland in the 2013 World Cup. His previous managerial experience came only with local amateur side Pilkington Recs, but Haggerty says he is ready for the task ahead.

“I’ve not had time to sit down and talk to Derek [about the timeframe of being Interim head coach or otherwise]. The last 24 hours have been that crazy, I don’t think I’ve had time to sleep, so I’ve not really put a great deal of thought into it, but I’ll just do the job that I can now for the team.

“Whatever progresses from there, I’m sure I’ll sit down with Derek and have a chat. I’ve got an ambition to be a head coach for sure but at the end of the day, I work at Leigh and have a close affection to the club. If the right person came in and it was the best for the club, why not? [stay on the backroom staff].

“It’s been a chaotic 24/48 hours and everybody at the club is okay, but all our thoughts are with John [Duffy] and his family at the moment. I’ve spoken to him, we’re all there for him, and we’re going to have a catch-up to make sure that he’s alright. He’s a great character, I’m sure he’ll be okay.”

Now the only team without a win to their name in Super League, the Centurions face one of the competition’s most in-form sides this weekend as they travel to take on Wakefield Trinity. After a winless opening six league games, the Yorkshiremen have now won two in a row.

With only a short turnaround between taking charge of the team and the Wakefield fixture, Haggerty doesn’t expect to make big changes to the side but knows how crucial getting that first win could be.

“Wakefield will be very confident playing against us this week. They’re in good form and playing some really good rugby.

“We’re down to the bare bodies [through injuries and suspensions]so there might be a bit of shuffling, or we might have to just go with what we’ve got. We’ve got another session today [Friday] and Saturday so we’ll have a look more then.

“We want to go there and hopefully put a performance on, get a win, and then the week after, we’ll sit down and put some plans in place [in terms of recruitment]. If we can get a win, one turns into two and then you talk about winning games, potentially staying up. The whole mindset of the club could change very quickly.”

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