With the law changes, both sides failed to adapt to the new interpretation of the rules in the first half. This was costly to Leigh, with Sneyd able to hammer the penalties 50 metres downfield with the wind at his back. The best player on show was definitely Danny Walker, who used the quicker rucks to steal metres at every play-the-ball, in a way that his opposite number never managed. Sneyd and Williams were largely anonymous except for the forward pass from Williams for the second try. Not sure how the officials miss these things when a player before the white line passes and the receiving player is on the other side of the markings. At least 2 points were not at stake. Not sure how video refs can make calls on knock-ons but not forward passes.
There were no exceptional performances from the Leopards, but there are encouraging signs from Adam Cook, who possesses a booming left peg. This is an area in which Leigh has always struggled. Lam worked on kicking longer distances last season, but Gaz O'Brien always struggled to get big metres from the boot. Cook also converted two tries from the left edge, which should, in theory, be the most difficult kick for left footer.
Not related to the game itself, but the Leigh pack looked very light without Mulhern and Liu, both of whom did not take part in the game. Added to these absences, Joe Offahengaue and Liam Horne have potential HIA protocols to fulfil for next week's 3rd round Challenge Cup fixture.
The new recruits, Liam Horne looked lively until he got his tackle technique all wrong and was removed for an HIA. Innes Senior looks ungainly with his 6ft 4in matchstick frame. Considering his height, he looks decidedly iffy under the high ball. Jacob Alick-Wienke does worry me. He was totally anonymous playing for PNG in the recent Pacific Bowl tournament, and only marginally better in this friendly match. Lammy talks about his X-factor, but unless things change, I predict a swap in positions with Owen Trout.
Leigh are currently miles away from being ready to face Leeds in Round 1. Can't blame the weather, it can be just as bad in February as it was in January. Leigh also need to learn how to defend short kick-offs and drop outs. If not they are going to coughing up possession about 75% of the time.
Tom Grant was the official for this game, and after one penalty for interference at the play-the-ball, it became very obvious when the whistle would blow. Without video referees, it is quite easy to see how much they depend on the technology to get them out of a hole.
Looking forward to a faster game throughout the season. The players are still probing how far they can go before they test the referees patience.
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