Leigh welcome Wakefield in penultimate round of Super League with little to play for in both camps

In the penultimate round of the regular Super League season, two teams with very little left to play for meet as bottom club Leigh Centurions welcome Wakefield Trinity.

Sunday’s game at the Leigh Sports Village represents the Centurions’ final home game of the season, and though they are presented with an opportunity to ‘finish with a flourish’, it isn’t a campaign that many associated with the club will look back on with fondness.

Following on from their promotion up into Super League in late December, Leigh had less time and crucially less money than the other 11 clubs within the league to prepare for life in the top-flight, and in truth, it has shown.

A bottom place finish is now confirmed for the Leythers, who have picked up just one win all season to date and conceded over 800 points. The only ‘saving grace’ for the time being is the fact that interim head coach Kurt Haggerty may not see his side relegated back down into the Betfred Championship.

Should the RFL and/or Super League grant them a reprieve and decide that there will be no relegation this season, Leigh will survive. That decision is not expected just yet though, so the remaining two games have to be a case of playing for pride.

If they don’t pick up any more victories, Leigh will be tied in second for the worst points tally recorded in a single Super League season with two since the competitions beginning in 1996.

London Broncos also finished with just the one win in 2014 while Halifax are bottom finishing with 0 points in 2003. They did actually win one game, but those two points were deducted for breaches of a salary cap.

Meanwhile, their opponents this weekend – Wakefield – haven’t enjoyed huge success this year either. Eight wins from 22 games so far and half of those have come after August 10, the date that saw long-term head coach Chris Chester leave the club to be replaced by former club captain Willie Poching.

Since Chester’s departure, Trinity have been on top form and been successful in four of their five outings including up in Newcastle at Magic Weekend where they beat Huddersfield Giants 18-32.

Such is the way that the league table sits at the moment, Wakefield can now only finish ninth – where they currently are – or tenth. That said, the remaining fixtures away at Leigh and then at home to Hull FC – both of whom have little to play for – could see some real momentum being built ahead of the new campaign.

Squads

As has been the case in many of their fixtures this season, Leigh have not been able to name a full squad of 21-men for Sunday’s meeting with Wakefield and instead select just 19.

In their heavy 6-44 loss against Hull Kingston Rovers at Magic Weekend, St Helens loanee Matty Foster suffered a serious ligament injury and will now require surgery to treat the same, so he is unavailable. Alongside him, Matty Russell and Junior Sa’u also drop out of the squad.

Just one man is drafted back in ahead of Trinity’s visit to the LSV in the form of Jamie Ellis. Having been loaned out to Championship outfit York City Knights earlier this season, Ellis has been a ‘bit-part’ player for the Centurions throughout the campaign. Club captain Liam Hood is also selected having announced a move to Wakefield from next season last month.

Wakefield on the other hand do name a 21-man squad for their visit to Leigh and in it make just one change from their victory against Huddersfield last time out. The experienced Tinirau Arona comes in, and replaces the outgoing winger, Tom Johnstone.

Normally one of the first names on the teamsheet, Trinity head coach Poching confirmed earlier this week that Johnstone will play no further part in the final two games of the season having experienced a third concussion in six months following a blow to the head in that win over the Giants.

Head-to-Head

Much like their record against many teams in Super League, Leigh haven’t enjoyed a great deal of success in recent times when they have come up against Wakefield.

For the Leythers last win, you have to go back to their first ever season in the top-flight – 2005. Now over 16 years ago, Leigh ran out 40-18 winners against this weekend’s opponents at former ground Hilton Park to claim one of their two victories come the end of that campaign, which also saw them finish bottom.

Wakefield have come out on top more often than not when they have faced the Centurions be it home or away. In Super League, there have been five meetings and Trinity have come away with the win in four, including earlier this season when Leigh made the trip to the Mobile Rocket stadium.

As has been the case in a few of their games this campaign, the Centurions came so close to picking up two points back in June and were two points to the good against Trinity with just ten minutes left. However, their defence let them down and two tries in the closing stages swung the game back in favour of the hosts.

Former Leyther Liam Kay grabbed the first of those with Mason Lino getting the second, and with both converted, it ended 30-20.

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