Leigh Centurions will not be giving up their 16-match winning run without a fight when they take on Leeds Rhinos in their Challenge Cup quarter-final tie at Headingley Carnegie Stadium on Friday (8.00pm), according to in-form half-back Ryan Brierley.
The Centurions are unbeaten in all competitions in 2014 and Brierley is looking forward to putting his and his team’s talents to the test by taking on one of the most successful teams in Rugby League history.
“Obviously we have had a flying start, we’re unbeaten and confidence is flooding through the team at the moment,” said Brierley. “It is something that we are really proud of and we won’t let it go lightly.
“It was certainly an exciting draw for us, Leeds are a team that are greatly admired. It will be a great experience and I’m just hoping that it’ll be a positive one for the club and myself.
“They are one of the best teams in the world and on a personal level, I want to test myself against the best players in the world and Leeds Rhinos have certainly got them in abundance.
“If you had asked me at the start of the year: ‘Would you lose your unbeaten record to Leeds Rhinos?’ then I think I would have snapped your hand off.
“We’re under no illusions of how tough this test is going to be on Friday night, but it is the Challenge Cup, so you never know.”
The last time Leigh defeated Leeds in the Cup was when Leigh lifted the trophy with a 24-7 victory in the final at Wembley in 1971.
It was an event that sums up the childhood dreams of Championship top try-scorer Brierley, who often imagines running out at Wembley.
“I’ve dreamt from round one,” said Brierley. “With every round that passes you get one step closer to the final – it is every boy’s dream to play at Wembley.
“It is certainly something I have dreamt about many times and I am really humbled and privileged to be in the position I am, in this moment in time.
“I certainly look at it that way: that we’re two games away from Wembley and achieving a childhood dream of playing in a final. If it’s not this year then maybe next year – but hopefully that dream will come true one day.”
