Southampton Leyther

How did the Leythers Acton, Hopkins and Burr get on?

I know it is a bit late now but could Bradford not have tried to beat Sheffield into a DR with Leigh? Personally would rather have linked up with the Bulls than Aston's bunch. Add Sam Hopkins, Jamie Acton and Lachlann Burr (all featured for the Eagles this afternoon) into todays Bulls pack and the forward battle would likely have had a very different outcome.

Listened to the Bradford v 'Dale match online. Sounded like the Bulls were bullied up the middle by a bigger and more experienced Hornets side. Worryingly for the Bulls it seemed like all your best plays went through Jordan Lilley who could be going back to Leeds soon. Sounded like Samir Tahraoui was running riot for Rochdale. Liked the look of him when he was playing at Whitehaven a few years back.

With Bradford already having a paper thin squad they really need to get through this game without injuries ahead of the crunch match against Rochdale the following week. Unfortunately with so many young lads in the side injuries tend to be more common. The Championship is a brutal comp and playing boys against men week after week could be a big ask in terms of physicality even if they have the skill levels to compete.

As impressive a name as Toovey is, I am not at all convinced he is what Bradford need this season. They look set for a brutal relegation battle in the Championship and will need a hell of a lot of recruitment to fill out the squad. Has Toovey ever coached outside Australia? Does he know anything at all about lower league, English rugby? I am sure he will have contacts in Aus but if rumours are true the New Bulls wont be able to get VISA's for foreign players for a month or two. I hope for their sake that they appoint somebody with a wealth of Championship knowledge and experience as his assistant and to help with recruitment. Because with 12 points to make up it doesn't allow much time for the new coach to find his feet, they somehow need to hit the ground running as a bad start will leave the gap looking insurmountable. Genuinely wish them all the best but IMO they would have been wiser to appoint somebody who knows the division inside out. Would likely also have cost a fraction of the price too, freeing up funds to sign some players capable of keeping them up.

You can get a Leigh win at 3/1 if you are confident. As a Leigh fan I would say Leeds are rightfully heavy favourites. Cory Paterson and Liam Hood are big losses for Leigh unfortunately. 15 coaches filled for a Thursday night game in Leeds which was re-arranged at very short notice is a great effort from the Leigh fans though. Should be a big noisy following and a great atmosphere, can't wait!

Greg Worthington at centre, Richard Whiting as a back rower/utility. Possibly Jake Emmitt in the forwards too.

Agreed. I really think Leigh loaned him to Dewsbury with the best of intentions. He was only 21 and firmly behind Ridyard, Chase and Brierley in the pecking order. Nobody could have predicted the latter 2 of those making less than a dozen appearances between them and being gone by mid season. Ben was recalled and has been a shining star in our squad. Hope the Dewsbury faithful can understand why he was recalled so early in the season. It was exceptional circumstances which (from a Leigh point of view at least) turned out working well in our favour.

Injury combined with a complete lack of motivation is the story I've been told from a few different sources. Wasn't happy that we signed Higham who became 1st choice hooker. Wasn't happy that Rowley left. Wasn't happy that he (2015 Vice-Captain) wasn't made Captain when Oli Wilkes (2015 Captain) left. Higham took that role instead. Wasn't happy because when Micky McIlorum got injured he was rumoured to be wanted by his home town club in Wigan. Leigh said we would want a fee as he was under contract and one of only 2 recognised hookers at the club at the time, the other being 35 years old. Believe he saw that as us trying to prevent his 'dream move'. No idea if Wigan were genuinely interested or not. Basically things seem to just turn sour and he hasn't been seen around the club or mentioned by anyone in months. Doesn't appear in the program anymore in the 2016 squad etc. Was a good player for us, sad it ended this way. Sure he will run riot at Toronto, with the strength of the signings they have made so far he will have a field day.

Don't think Leigh will be letting Reynolds go anywhere. At just 22 he is one for the future. He has really impressed this year and with all our comings and goings in the halfbacks he has actually made 18 appearances this season. Would be a loan deal at best and I can't imagine Dewsbury would be too keen on going down that route again...

A team in SL could finish top of the table by a mile and win all their playoff games easily but if they lose in the Grand Final the opposition are the Champions. Same applies to Toulouse except they at least get a 2nd chance as 2 teams go up.

4th plays 5th. 4th gets home advantage. The winner plays in Super League in 2017. The loser plays in the Championship in 2017. Should be one hell of a game. Like watching a car crash in slow motion, feel for the fans involved!

He is still at Leigh. We signed him as cover because our 1st choice fullback McNally had a bad knee injury in pre-season which was potentially season ending. Lee Smith had a very good season at FB but McNally finally came back to full fitness about 2 months ago and basically reclaimed his spot. Since then Smith has had a couple of games at centre but hasn't featured yet in the middle 8's with McNally playing all 5 games at fullback. Seems to split Leigh fans down the middle between those who prefer Smith and those who prefer McNally but the coach seems to favour McNally and 5 wins from 5 probably justifies the decision. I would have McNally just in front of Smith but both are playing well. Smith will play at fullback today though I think as there is no McNally in the squad (or Higham, Ridyard, Drinkwater etc). So he will get another chance to show what he can do this afternoon.

Usually they get the highlights up by later tonight or sometime tomorrow. Full match is usually online by Monday/Tuesday. Plus live commentary on MixLR.

Only the ones who haven't already agreed deals with Toronto!