Leigh’s Brierley says ambition for Super League survival won’t falter

Leigh Centurions full-back Ryan Brierley has said that the team’s form won’t affect their ambition to stay in Super League as head coach John Duffy parted ways with the club earlier this week.

Having been awarded promotion up into Super League to replace the absent Toronto Wolfpack back in December, the Centurions are winless in nine so far this campaign, including one Challenge Cup defeat.

With interim head coach Kurt Haggerty now in charge, Leigh travel to Wakefield Trinity this weekend off the back of a 40-16 defeat to Brierley’s former side Hull Kingston Rovers. Despite the poor run of results, the 29-year-old continues to look forward as he discussed with Prost in the build-up to the clash with Wakefield.

“There’s no point in moping around and feeling sorry for ourselves, we’ve just got to focus on the next game. Every game is just two points, and you can’t target games, you can’t save yourself for games. You’ve got to go all out to win every game you can, and this week will be no different.

“We’ll do the preview again, see where they’re good and see where they’re bad to go and try to get two points. We understand that they’ve got a real threat so it’s no different for us. Our process and objectives don’t change.

“We train hard, see what players are available this week and try to get the job done. That [process]will never change from week one until the very last game of the season. We want to keep improving and moving forward. This league is relentless, it won’t feel sorry for you, and it won’t give you anything, so you’ve just got to keep turning up, keep working hard for each other and hoping that the tide turns.”

In last weekend’s trip to Hull College Craven Park, Brierley returned to the Centurions side having missed out on a place in the squad against Huddersfield Giants the week prior.

Brierley’s first-half try against his former employers proved to be the penultimate one of the Duffy era at Leigh, but Brierley wanted to clear up any rumours of a falling out between him and the Scottish coach.

“At the Huddersfield game, it was just a case of having trained every session since pre-season and played in every game of the season up until that point. We just wanted to freshen me up over that weekend really. I wasn’t dropped and Duffs just wanted to give Brendan [Elliott] a run out to see how he fared.

“Brendan had been training there the last few weeks coming back from an ACL injury and can play almost anywhere across the backline so I think the plan going forward will be that he’ll play a part in a number of positions.

“When you get tagged in stuff [online]and things get said, you can’t put everyone straight. It wasn’t a case of going back into the team against Hull KR and having to prove a point but more just to carry on where my form had left off. If anything, Duffs was really pleased with my performances before the Huddersfield game.

“The last game I played before that was against Wigan where I set up two tries and saved a couple, so it was just carrying on good form really.”

The clash with neighbours Wigan Warriors mentioned by Brierley also coincided with the return of spectators to games on May 17, the first time that Leigh fans had been able to watch their side in action live for close for over a year.

Currently, in his third spell with the club, it was also the first time that Brierley was able to see them face-to-face since his return last year and he admits it was special.

“I kind of got a little bit nervous for the first game back with fans, which is a good thing. It’s been awesome ‘to have them back’ and I think it’s been a welcome boost for every player. This sport in general thrives off its’ fans and the passion they show so it’s been great. The longer we go into the season, the more fans that will be able to get into the games too.”

Scottish international Brierley and his teammates will also be able to welcome a small section of their fans away in Yorkshire at Wakefield on Sunday.

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