Betfred Super League Round 24
Friday 30 August 2024, Leopards Den (8pm)
Leigh Leopards 16-12 Warrington Wolves
Leopards’ charge towards the play-offs gathered more momentum, their eighth win in their last nine games seeing them begin the weekend in fifth place in Betfred Super League.
Warrington’s defeat was only their second in ten games and severely dented their aspirations of keeping pace with Hull KR and Wigan for the league leader’s shield.
The visitors played 69 minutes with 12 men after prop Paul Vaughan was sent off for a high shot on Owen Trout.
Leopards dominated position and possession in the first half, but Wolves showed tenacity and character to go in level at the break.
Ricky Leutele opened the scoring with a smart try after Lachlan Lam napped up a loose ball and Matt Moylan, back after a three-match injury absence, tagged on a penalty after Vaughan saw red.
But Wolves tied the scores in a rare first half attack with the impressive Matty Ashton finishing off George Williams’s cut-out pass for his 21st try of the season, Josh Thewlis converting from the touchline.
Leopards finally made their one-man advantage count with two tries in seven second half minutes. After Lam just failed to ground in a massed tackle the outstanding Frankie Halton twisted over the line for his third try in four games.
Josh Charnley was then on hand to score by the flag from Lam’s superb, floated pass to the left in front of the celebrating North Stand.
It was Charnley’s 245th Super League try, and he is now two behind the now retired Danny McGuire and eight adrift of Hull KR’s record holder Ryan Hall.
The visitors had a brief lifeline when Jack Hughes was sin-binned to level it up to 12-a-side for ten minutes.
But Leopards’ defence held firm and soon after Hughes returned Moylan and Matt Davis combined to make a brilliant double tackle that stopped Ashton short of the flag.
Sam Powell finally supported Ben Currie’s charge to go under the posts for a converted try with 52 seconds remaining.
Wolves desperately tried to keep the ball alive on the re-start as the seconds ticked down before Player of the Match Gareth O’Brien fittingly made the final tackle of a dramatic game played in front of a raucous crowd.
Leopards
6 Matt Moylan; 34 Darnell McIntosh, 24 Umyla Hanley, 4 Ricky Leutele, 5 Josh Charnley; 1 Gareth O’Brien, 7 Lachlan Lam (capt); 8 Tom Amone, 9 Edwin Ipape, 10 Robbie Mulhern, 11 Kai O’Donnell, 16 Frankie Halton, 17 Owen Trout
Bench:
3 Zak Hardaker, 12 Jack Hughes, 15 Matt Davis, 35 Aaron Pene, 18th player: 33 Brad Dwyer (not used).
Tries: Leutele (9), Halton (46), Charnley (53)
Goals: Moylan 2/ 4
Sin bin: Hughes (58)
Wolves
38 Cai Taylor-Wray; 2 Josh Thewlis, 14 Rodrick Tai, 3 Toby King, 5 Matty Ashton; 6 George Williams (capt), 7 Josh Drinkwater; 41 Luke Yates, 32 Sam Powell, 10 Paul Vaughan, 15 Lachlan Fitzgibbon, 42 John Bateman, 11 Ben Currie
Bench:
16 Zane Musgrave, 15 Joe Philbin, 9 Danny Walker, 17 Jordy Crowther. 18th player: 29 Tom Whitehead (not used)
Tries: Ashton (37), Powell (80)
Goals: Thewlis 2/ 2
Red card: Vaughan (11)
Scoring sequence: 4-0, 6-0, 6-6 (ht) 12-6, 16-6
Penalty count: 8-6
GLDO: 1-0
Attendance: 9,434
Referee: Liam Moore
Touch judges: M Griffiths & R Thompson; Reserve referee: A Williams; M Com: Peter Taberner; Video referee: Ben Thaler; Timekeeper: P Smith
Main Match Sponsor: Bolton Steel Structures Limited
Player of the Match sponsor: Simply Green Turfing Specialists- awarded to Gareth O’Brien
Match Ball Sponsor: CTS Limited
Champagne Moment Sponsor: Pier (UK) Ltd- awarded to Lachlan Lam’s pass for Josh Charnley’s try
Programme Sponsor: Nutra Prep’s
Kit Sponsor: Patrick
