Septimius Severus wrote:
Regular season is over and the 1895 Cup and the Championship League Shield safely ensconced at the LSV. What are your player nominations from a fantastic team?
That’s a stinker, Sep!
As it’s Player of the Season, nominations for this party should be limited to players who have made 20 or more appearances for Leigh in 2022. That narrows it down to a field of 16 and even debars Johnny come (relatively) lately Fergy.
Inu and O’Donnell just scrape in.
Top of the shop appearance-wise is, Mr Reliable, Sam Stone. He’s generally out of the limelight but does big, big workhorse minutes, has good pace for a second rower, a good pair of hands and the heart to chase anything. He’s also chipped in with nine tries.
One appearance behind are Caleb Aekins and Aaron Smith.
Aekins has been generally fine under high balls at the back, once going the length of the field after a catch under a lot of opposition pressure - one of 18 tries this term. As that stat suggests, his timing joining the line at pace is very good. Another favourite moment for Bongser, was against Fev at The Bash - Aekins spun out of a tackle on halfway, went from 0 to 60 in no time, forced the defender to commit and only then slipped it inside to the supporting Lam who only had to catch it to dive betwixt the sticks on debut.
Smith has committed fully to the Leigh cause this season, so much so that Bongser had forgotten that he wasn’t fully on the books. Got needlessly clattered in the last minute of the Round 3 match at home to The Bulls (a last minute that became a last ten minutes) but once back he threw himself fully into the fray - and his bravery has cost him other head knocks as well. His light has been somewhat be-bushelled by the arrival of fan (and journalist) favourite, Ipape. Aaron is a good hooker and generally does the hard minutes in the arm wrestle before giving way to the pyrotechnics. His 11 tries have generally been more Mickey Highamesque than those of Edwin - generally though not exclusively; who will ever forget that last try at home to York with Smith being slipped through and having the legs and the noggin to one-two with Mellor before dotting down. The rest was Inu and history.
So far that’s three players that (if promotion happens) are unlikely to be wearing our hoops in 2023. Sad!
Then there’s Joe Mellor and John Asiata.
It’s been mooted on some forums that Joe will prove not to be a top end SL scrum half, all Bongser can say is that Leigh are not as fluent when he is not on the field. Great that he is a Leyther again next year whatever happens over the next two games. Great vision, great passer and kicker from hand, hard as nails taking on the oppo line and tackling whatever comes his way, decent turn of pace, always there in support after a Leigh break and a try every other game! Co-Captain and a true leader.
Bongser will cover Asiata and his partner in crime, Tom Amone (next on the appearance list) together. TIRELESS! Massive, effective if unspectacular shifts. Strong, ferocious (in a controlled way) and fearless. Starters every time if fit for Bongser and (dependent on promotion in Asiata’s case) with us next season if memory serves. Six tries apiece and Amone had not scored a career try before this season. Teamwork!
Next come Sid and Chambo.
Co-Captain, Adam Sidlow has led the pack fantastically this season, he’s a hard nut when driving in again and again and also in defence. However he also has a good RL brain, vision and set of hands. Don’t recall seeing that he is on the books next season but would be disappointed to see him go. Unusual highlight for Bongser (mainly for what it meant) was in the AB Sundecks (getting that in before a comment later) 1895 Final. Just after Stone had made a monkey of Kheirallah to score Leigh’s final try), the latter, whippet fast, seemed to be clean through but Sid made a desperate late half cover tackle that did enough to cause a knock-on and the Cup was won. 5 tries for him. The pack has really chipped in and Leigh are scoring from all over the park this season - opposition sides must dread it!
Ed Chamberlain has been a revelation this season. Initially brought in as a squad player, the enforced early season reshuffle that saw Brand go out to the right wing presented Chambo with an opportunity and boy did he take it. Carpe diem? He’s been shaking that chance like a terrier does a rat ever since. Utterly dependable centre with 15 tries (and 13 goals, ahem, to boot) in the 26 appearances that that opportunity led to. Mucho pleased that he’s with us next year.
On to the left centre (though Lam tried him on the right), Nene MacDonald. What a debut at home to Whitehaven! We’d already seen his (now) trademark high catch, swivel on going into contact and ground type of try and then came the hat trick try. Took a drive in for the forwards, took it in so strongly that he found himself through the line; still about 40 to go but he galloped on to score near the posts. Bongser left LSV buzzing - what a find! Another 21 tries to date since those three plus many put on a plate for Kris. The vultures were soon circling. Wigan fans had spotted the solution to all their problems at centre, but Derek (the man) put a stop to that by tying him down for next year. Still rumours that he may be off to Leeds. Hopefully not. If he does stay, his defence needs a lot of work in the close season. Forget that missed tackle on Leilua at The Bash, it’s more that he tends to be sucked inside when Leigh are defending their own line. This leaves his winger the unenviable dilemma of staying on his wing (and leaving a gaping hole) or bisecting that gap and leaving two. Let’s see what the coaches can do.
Onto Joe Wardle. More or less everything said about Stone above applies equally to Joe. Both, incidentally.have chased down lost causes playing Fev and made them into tries. Talking of tries he’s chipped in with eight. Really pleased he’s with us next year. Best memory is of him standing firm and going nose to nose with a pumped up Joey Leilua in the melee that followed the flare up that saw Nene and Tyrer Hepi being asked to imitate the Wigan Walk.
Equal on appearances with Joe is Edwin Ipape. Oh Edwin Ipape! As stated a favourite of fans, journos and commentators alike. Generally plays from the bench but then takes the game by the scruff of the neck. As said above, Smith does a lot of the spadework for him but, quite aside from Ipape’s distribution, his ability to see a gap and EXPLODE through it is phenomenal. Most of these breaks see Leigh scoring on that play or the next and a lot of those are scored by himself (21 of them). People rightly talk about his acceleration and strength but his balance and low centre of gravity make his running elusive enough to slice through defences like a hot (and wiggly) knife through butter. Looking forward to seeing a lot more of him in C&W next year!
Ben Reynolds has missed 10 games this year through injury but has done his bit well. A good pivot and foil to Mellor with a good kicking game. A strong passer with a fast brain and fast hands, courageous and now takes on the line more than in the past witnessed by 10 tries. Good place kicker and as a result Derek bagged him for personal sponsorship - “and the two points are added for Leigh by No6, Ben Reynolds sponsored by AB Sundecks” was the most common announcement at LSV early season. He rightly ceded kicking duties to Inu after the latter’s arrival and Impact Insurance have been the beneficiaries. Still, should Bongser ever need decking (and many want to deck him) it’s AB all the way down.
Mark Iaone: signed initially as a starting prop, but Green’s arrival dislodged him and allowed Lam to play him as a terror from the bench. Chris got crocked a game and a tad into the season but by then the die was was cast and Mark became the “Oh No!” interchange whenever opposition defences started to tire. Another quota player and will probably be with Keighley rather than Leigh next year. Good servant and at 32 (then) should be able to contribute to big-spending Keighley’s attempt to be in the top twenty finishing clubs on the present European RL ladder next season if they burst onto the scene as Barrow did this season. Good luck to him!
Keanan Brand, as mentioned, centre turned winger and what a job he did early doors! With subsequent all star additions to the back line, game time has been limited but he’s still appeared in two thirds of Leigh games be they on the wing or back at centre (dished up a walkover for Inu recently). After Barrow away, maybe we know that he is not a full back but he was happy to play there. A try every other outing and at just 23 a good signing for 2023 as Leigh seem to be looking longer term than has been the case in recent seasons.
That leaves Kai O’Donnell and Krisnan Inu.
Kai has been great since he came in. 12 tries in 20 appearances a lot of which have been from the bench. For Bongser he is a different type of forward to the others that Leigh presently possess and therefore presents new imponderables to opposing teams. Forget his tries for a moment, the way he repeatedly stays upright in contact then twists and offloads intelligently - fantastic! Edwin particularly (as they’ve shared a lot of game time together as interchanges) has often benefited from this recycling. Seems that the bungee cord of the would be Mrs O’Donnell is becoming ever more taut and may be boinging them back to Oz soon. Best Wishes.
Kris took his time getting here. Whilst Bongser knows that French Air Traffic Control is more often than not on strike, he’s obviously been misled that French trains are so much faster than ours (then again the French believe that the maquis defeated Adolf by themselves!) Top point scorer. Dead Eye Dick on place kicks barring one match when his radar was so wonky that Reynolds took over. We’ll forget that one and remember that we would not have put a ton on York without a 16/17 conversion rate by Inu who also dibbed in with one of his 23 tries that day. His trademark cross-armed “hopak dancer” styled fend off (and the power behind it) will long be treasured in B&B’s fevered memory. He’ll be 36 next season and does occupy a quota spot but his likely departure will lead to a few headaches in the kicking department for Lam Snr. But that as they used to say on “Tales of the Riverbank” is another story.
So after that “Ramble of the Riverbank”, how much closer is Bongser to making a nomination? Not very but it has organised his thoughts (if that be possible) and killed a day off work.
Of the above long list, the players that will not grace LSV next season (at least not in our colours) should all be awarded the Freedom of Leigh. A great honour and one particularly useful for any of the departing Antipodean (or Yorky) players that have brought their flocks of sheep over - they would then be free to drive them through The Turnpike unworried by HRJ’s exposed posterior.
Where is Harold anyway? Miss his input, Any news?
Because Bongser is a sentimental old sod, he’s shortlisted just the likely departures for his nomination and after reading back will plump for The Smiling Assassin! No man wins a match on his own but, if Leigh’s opponents ship a four pointer, they know that it’s generally going to be six in actuality and spirit is further sapped.
KRISNAN INU.
Job (eventually) Done Sticker. Ramble over and out!
