Betfred Super League Round 10
Leigh Leopards 28-28 Castleford Tigers (after 10 minutes golden point extra-time)
Leopards Den; Saturday 4 May 2024 (5:30pm)
An extra-time classic, great game for a neutral, but a game of mixed emotions for those involved in what was that Super League rarity- a draw.
Ten frantic minutes of extra-time failed to separate two sides who’d given their all and produced some spectacular Saturday evening entertainment for an 8,000 plus crowd at a vibrant Leopards Den.
Leopards went closest to earning the win in added time, Matt Moylan’s drop-goal attempt rebounding off the post into Tex Hoy’s grateful arms with little more than two minutes remaining.
Wembley hero Lachlan Lam dragged a rushed, last-minute drop-goal attempt wide and as the hooter sounded many of the players fell to the turf exhausted after their mammoth efforts.
Both sides will take huge positives out of a game from which you could never avert your eyes. Leopards began sluggishly, trailed 10-0, were then revived by Edwin Ipape’s appearance off the bench.
After missing the last nine games with injury, Ipape made an immediate impact with his direct running and superb passing skills.
Within a minute of taking the field to loud cheers Ipape’s vision and Lam’s artistry set up Moylan for an incisive finish.
After Kai O’Donnell was held up over the line, Ipape blasted over on the last tackle. Then his bullet pass to the left helped Lam to create Josh Charnley’s 298th career try.
Three Moylan conversions sent the Leopards in relieved after they’d trailed to tries by Louis Senior and Hoy, as Tigers began in enterprising style. It might have been worse for the home side had not an Elie El-Zakhem effort been ruled out by overworked video referee Liam Moore for failing to ground the ball in a massed tackle.
Leopards were 18-10 ahead at half-time, stretched to 24-10 early in the second half, when Lam’s created a fourth try for the outstanding Ricky Leutele.
Leopards had two further tries ruled out by the video referee, Leutele again and Louis Brogan, seconds after proudly taking the field for his debut.
Though Tigers fought back to eight points behind with a superb Sam Wood try following Hoy’s counter-attacking run from deep, Lam’s 69th minute try, after great assists by Charnley and Leutele, looked to have settled it.
Moylan’s touchline conversion attempt drifted wide, his first failure of the night, and that gave Tigers some hope.
Responding brilliantly with great attacking football they narrowed the gap to six when Innes Senior finished off a flowing move wide out on the left, the nerveless Rowan Milnes converting.
Just 87 seconds remained when his twin brother Louis Senior dived over in the right corner, the left-footed Milnes again showing nerves of steel to strike the conversion through the posts.
Tom Amone was a stand-out once again in the Leopards pack and just edged out Leutele, Ipape and Lam for Player of the Match honours.
After being royally entertained by the Lancashire Hotpots earlier the fans could head home for a late chippy tea with lots to talk about over the battered haddock and mushy peas.
Leopards
1 Matt Moylan; 2 Umyla Hanley, 3 Zak Hardaker, 4 Ricky Leutele, 5 Josh Charnley; 21 Ben McNamara, 7 Lachlan Lam (capt); 8 Tom Amone, 33 Brad Dwyer, 17 Owen Trout, 11 Kai O’Donnell, 16 Frankie Halton, 12 Jack Hughes
Bench:
9 Edwin Ipape, 15 Matt Davis, 20 Oliver Holmes, 30 Louis Brogan. 18th player: Darnell McIntosh
Tries: Moylan (27), Ipape (37), Charnley (40), Leutele (52), Lam (69)
Goals: Moylan 4/ 5
Debut: Louis Brogan (HN#1562)
Tigers
34 Tex Hoy; 33 Louis Senior, 35 Corey Hall, 4 Sam Wood, 5 Innes Senior; 16 Rowan Milnes, 7 Jacob Miller; 8 Liam Watts, 9 Paul McShane (capt), 15 Joe Westerman, 13 Alex Mellor, 11 Elie El-Zakhem, 29 George Hill
Bench:
14 Liam Horne, 19 Sam Hall, 24 Cain Robb, 25 Brad Martin. 18th player: 15 George Griffin
Tries: L Senior (7, 78), Hoty (16), Wood (62), I Senior (72)
Goals: Milnes 4/ 5
Scoring sequence: 0-4, 0-10, 6-10, 12-10, 18-10 (ht) 24-10, 24-16, 28-16, 28-22, 28-28 (ft)
Referee: James Vella; Touch-judges: P Marklove & R Cox; MC: A Mills; VR: Liam Moore; Reserve Referee: A Belafonte; TK: A Smith
Penalty count: 6-4
Attendance: 8,035
Main Match Sponsor: The Boar’s Head; Player of the Match sponsor: Hilltop (awarded to Tom Amone); Match Ball sponsor: ASK Platt; Champagne Moment sponsor: Caton Lloyd Audio Visual Solutions; Official Kit Partner: Patrick