JUKES OF HAZARD!
Leigh coach’s ’nightmare’ battle to beat drop
NEIL JUKES insists his Leigh side will scrap every inch of the way to save their Super League lives.
But the Centurions boss claims the fight facing several teams is “an absolute nightmare.”
Clubs that end up in the Middle 8s – which is likely to include Leigh and tonight’s opponents Widnes – struggle to plan for
next year. With the possibility of relegation looming, clubs find it hard to recruit players and project finances.
Jukes said: “It’s an absolute nightmare in terms of recruiting because players are a bit nervous about where you will be. “It’s also very difficult to try to build reserve and academy structures because they’re based on extra funding.
“We’re trying to build our club but we had six weeks in the off-season and then we’ve been trying to build through this year.
“But there is a nervousness about what we are trying to build. There should be an element where you can build but there’s no solid base.”
Jukes (inset) is a fan of promotion, after his side battled their way out of the Championship via the Middle 8s last season, but he shouldto believesdevelopbe given promoted academiesmore clubs timeand becomeHe said: more “In self-sufficient.the old system, clubs could allow their young players to grow without any nervousness. “An academy is the thing we want to try and embrace but it takes two or three years to develop.” Eleventh-placed Leigh travel to bottom side Widnes tonight on the back of a 50-34 win over Wigan. Jukes said: “This is a massive, must-win game for both clubs and we will be doing everything we can to ensure we win. “The Wigan win gave us a lot of confidence but anyone who has watched us this year knows our attitude and desire can never be questioned. “Until it is impossible for us to get into the top eight, we will still be going for it.”