What Widnes are doing is playing the system, apart from potential benefits in the 8s coming bottom is irrelevant. What is important is strengthening and having a squad fit for the 7 games, that's what they did last year and the same again this

Same as when Wakefield announced the same half way through the 2015 (??) season

Exactly so, it does not take genious to recognise that our near neighbours in Wigan, Saints and Wire have an ongiong policy of signing as many potential future stars as possible from wherever they can, not because they need them but from fear of not having them, they cannot possibly keep all the lads that come through their junior ranks, so we hear that a lot turn and walk away from the game because of lack of opportunity, Leigh geographically sits comfortably between those big clubs, it can becone an haven for those lads rejected by those clubs.

I well recall the games in the SL v Widnes at the LSV they scored 37 points, at their place they scored 36 points, no need apparently to play the system in those games then, when they did play the system they only managed 24 points at the LSV, so 3 short of 100 in 3 games and 3 victories, are you actually criticising Widnes or congratulating them for being so astute? I wish we had been that clever!

Thanks for your post I share your views also. Being a Chairman/Owner of any sporting club has its ups and downs and, the ups always seem to coincide with the good times! Clearing out my loft the other day I came across a batch of the 'Rugby Leaguer' which was a weekly Rugby Paper which ran for many decades until its demise.
The back page of an edition in April 1975 has the headline; Harding Quits After Threat! Harding of course was the incumbent Leigh Chairman and Leigh at that time were performing badly! Harding had been the GB Tour Manager of the Ashes winning 1970 team and also, Chairman when Leigh beat Leeds to lift the Challenge Cup at Wembley in 1971 so his credentials were first class however, fans have short memories when times get tough!
Whilst Harding's situation is not exactly the same as Beaumont's, they were both Club leaders!
I feel we have been desperately unlucky these past couple of seasons, last season we were a very competitive team particularly for a club that had not been in the SL for twelve seasons! We did recruit a very strong alround squad and, we were the envy of many. Our left wing partnership of Willie Tonga and James Clare had the potential to have been amongst the best in SL however, I don't think they ever played together due to untimely injuries? This season our Marquee signing Kurt Baptiste played all of 20 minutes before asking to be released from his Contract and high tailing back to Australia! It just shows how difficult it is to put a squad together when your major signing, behaves like that


Incidentally, a lot of the Rugby League fraternity consider us to be a failure however, we have won 15 of our last 17 league matches with the only two reversals coming against Toronto! The match at the Summer Bash should never have been lost and had not, we could be lining up in the Middle Eights which, was our intention at the beginning of the season! Just shows the margins that exist in the Championship today!

But he had called it on the field as no knock on , therefore he thought it wasn't a knock on so should have given a try , but then if needed ask to double check it? Surely?

Short sighted approach.

He let the play continue then he called it “No Try” which suggested he thought there may have been a knock on.

Well if he thought there may have been a knock on, then he should have immediately blown up and awarded Leigh head and feed at the scrum. That is my point.

For he to allow play to carry on , he has obviously called it as good, hence a "TRY" should have been signaled.

His actions however could appear to some as though he thought it was a knock on, but let it go to the detriment of Leigh, not expecting Cas to break and score , then his backside fell out, knowing that SKY TV will be all over the play prior and had to change his decision to "NO TRY" due to the said knock on.

However I would never question that myself

Although I don't believe Jukes was the right man for the job I think our failing in SL was how our pack ended up at the tail end of the season. One thing we had was size, power & aggression int front row when we had the likes of Hock, Weston & Acton playing but due to injuries & suspensions we couldn't control & dominate in the middle like we did earlier int season. Losing those 3 units & replacing them with Greg Richards was always going to impact too greatly on our pack no disrespect to Richards but for SL we ended up with a powder puff front row. Losing Mortimer for the playoffs also impacted us too. We need to move on that was last year & get behind Purtill & the lads.

When we lost the first five games.

We won 3 out of the first 6 beating Stains, Hudds & wire the last 2 quite comfortably. We lost to Leeds in round 3 by 3 points & in round 7 v Wakey we had full control of that game until we lost Drinkwater to injury in the 2nd half. Our pack could control the game better earlier in the the season to how we finished it with the players available. A big factor into why we finished the season in a wimper cos our forwards available weren't up to the level required physically.

We won 3 of the 1 st 6 and were looking very comfortable going to Wakey , whereupon the truly atrocious officiating started

As pointed out above , we ended up a ' busted ' team by the 8s and lost both the players we brought in to bolster the squad , and even then a dropped pass to Matty Dawson with 2 minutes to go at Wire would have seen us safe

Very fine margins , unlike 2005