A sickening loss for Neil
JUKES’ HOTHEADS BLOW IT Leigh ................... 10 Catalans ............ 26 by Julie Stott
NEIL JUKES’ ill-disciplined Leigh Centurions killed off their own Super League survival hopes.
They led this £1million relegation shootout for most of the first half and the opening 10 minutes of the second as Catalans looked to be heading for heartbreak and an uncertain future in the Championship.
But the French club got a massive helping hand from Leigh in their hunt to save their 12-year existence in Super League.
The Centurions, who now crash out of the top flight after one season, lost their heads in a disastrous 10-minute spell.
They led 10-4 at that point thanks to tries from Matty Dawson and James Clare, with Catalans’ score coming from Iain Thornley.
But they let a harsh penalty decision from ref Ben Thaler rattle them and lost the plot.
Harrison Hansen’s tackle on Jason Baitieri did not look high but the Dragons grabbed the chance and moments later they went over.
Richie Myler, who had played a part in Thornley’s try, sent in Wigan loan player Lewis Tierney for an unconverted try.
Catalans then got five more penalties on the bounce, as Leigh self-destructed, and scored a further 10 points in the next few minutes. Luke Walsh kicked two and converted after Tierney sidestepped his way over again after being put in by Myler and Louis Anderson.
It put them eight points up and Leigh’s chance was gone. Walsh added another penalty and Catalans finished with a flourish with a Fouad Yaha try.
Leigh owner Derek Beaumont has promised to keep a full-time squad in the Championship and insists Jukes’ job is safe.
But the gutted coach hit out at the system – which he thinks is all wrong because people’s futures are still up in the air.
Jukes said: “The scenario around it and the uncertainty is ridiculous. They talk about player welfare and mental health but that comes around job security and finances.
“That is completely hypocritical against what we stand for. Ultimately people will lose their jobs and that is sickening.” He said he had tried to keep the squad calm all week but admitted nerves had probably played a part in the defeat.
Jukes added: “We had a good week but this morning I felt it a bit and understood the enormity of it all seeing the fans out there.
“We gave too many penalties away and you’re never going to win a game like that. On the back of that, Catalans did not give us much and they were pumping holes.
“The harder we tried the worse we got. We were digging ourselves deeper.”
Catalans have had a disastrous season and sacked coach Laurent Frayssinous in May, replacing him with former England boss Steve McNamara.
He has won only six of his 13 games in charge, and just one against a Super League rival, but McNamara was simply relieved that they are still in the top flight.
He said: “There are lots of tears in the dressing room and that’s not about staying in Super League, it’s about the huge amount of tension on everyone. It’s just a big relief.
“That was our best performance of the season in the most extreme pressure.”