As he prepares to lead his hometown club into battle in Saturday’s Million Pound Game, Leigh captain Micky Higham has admitted he is unsure whether he will play on in 2018 yet.
Higham will return to the Leigh side for the game against Catalans, in which victory will ensure Neil Jukes’ side secure the 12th and final place in Super League for next season.
Higham is out of contract following Saturday’s game, and while he admits no decision has yet been made over his future, that will be discussed after the Million Pound Game – but he hinted that he does want to stay.
“We’re in the process of deciding,” he said.
“Nothing has been set in concrete but I still feel I could go around again, whether it’s with the same influence as previous years, we’re working that out. I want to stay here and see myself getting into the coaching side of things but we’ve got plenty of time to chat about it after this week.”
Higham has not played for a number of weeks following illness, but says if selected by Jukes, he will put his hand up and play in the club’s biggest game of the season.
He said: “If selected, I’ll play. I’ve put my hand up for selection. I’ve not been too well over the last few weeks – I’ve had a bit of a virus – and I wasn’t feeling quite right.
“You need to be right at this time of the year but I’m feeling good. I’ll train tomorrow and see how I feel. I’ve had a chat with Jukesy and I’ll give myself the best chance I can of being selected.
“It’d be great to be in there in the mix and have whatever influence I can. Whether that’s coming on or starting, hopefully I’ll get the chance to add my experience and pull some of the guys along.”
Higham admits that there are nerves among the Centurions players ahead of the game – but says they will do their best to turn that into a positive as kick-off approaches.
He said: “It’s an unknown for me as it is for everyone at this club. We’re usually fighting for promotion but it’s a bit of a different style this week.
“There’s nerves in the camp but that can be good and we’ve channeled them well. We’ll treat it as a cup final because it is a final in many ways, but we’ve got some experienced lads in the camp who will come to the fore.”