Kurt Haggerty is ready to lead Leigh’s Super League survival bid if given the chance by club owner Derek Beaumont.
The former Centurions player was in caretaker charge for the key clash at Wakefield following the departure of head coach John Duffy in the wake of nine defeats in nine matches in Super League and the Challenge Cup this year.
And the 32-year-old ex-Ireland forward is now looking towards Saturday’s home game against Catalans – and trying to reinforce the squad in time for the visit of the French side.
“I’ve got ambitions to be a head coach,” said Haggerty, who guided community club Pilkington Recs to the National Conference League Premier Division via three consecutive promotions and then worked on the staff at Toronto before returning to the Centurions as Duffy’s assistant in January.
“At the moment, I’m just doing what I can for the club, and whatever progresses from there, we’ll see.”
Haggerty, who had two spells as a Leigh player and also represented Blackpool Panthers, Widnes, Barrow and Bradford, would like to stay regardless of whether he gets the top job.
Head of rugby Garreth Carvell also left last week, with the club saying both his departure and that of Duffy, who was in his third season as head coach, were by mutual consent.
Like Haggerty, former Great Britain and England prop Carvell was recruited in the wake of Leigh’s elevation to Super League in place of Toronto via a bidding process.
That decision was announced in December, leaving former Swinton and Featherstone coach Duffy scrambling to assemble a squad capable of competing in the top flight.
“I am gutted that my time is up,” said Duffy, whose final match was the 40-16 defeat at Hull KR. “It’s a tough one for me as I love the club and the fans.
“But I had a good chat with Derek and we agreed that something needed to change. We have not got the results we needed.”
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