Hat-trick of heartbreaks

Huddersfield Giants...38 Leigh Centurions...16 - ROM optimism to despair in the space of just 40 minutes. Just one half of rugby league condemned the Centurions to at least another year outside Super League.

Few among the record crowd of over 9000 would disagree that Leigh bossed much of the first period of Saturday's Grand Final. Had they been able to repeat it for another 40 minutes, there's every likelihood that the Centurions would soon be lining up alongside the Wigans and Bradfords.

But they couldn't - and the Giants ran away with the game to continue their relentless march back to the big time.

Leigh's third successive failure - and second Grand Final defeat - to make it into Super League will have major consequences at Hilton Park. The repercussions could see coach Paul Terzis and several big name players lose their jobs as the cash belts are tightened in readiness for another NFP campaign.

Leigh may have been behind on the scoreboard at the break but in many people's eyes the Centurions should have been in front. They created the better openings, mounted some serious pressure but then shot themselves in the foot by gifting the Giants a couple of tries to trail 14-10.

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oach Terzis agrees. "I thought at half time we should have been in front, simple as that. At the break we said if we came up with the same performance in the second half, we'd win the game. We didn't."

He added: "Huddersfield are a good team and their performances this season show they deserve to be in Super League. They've shown what a massive advantage it is to have a full-time team in a part-time competition. They were too good for us in the second half."

True enough. Leigh couldn't handle it when the Giants turned up the heat in the second half. Leigh's mounting frustrations got the better of them as their dream started to fade and a bruising first half developed into a bad-tempered and spiteful second.

Referee Karl Kirkpatrick had his hands full as he shipped Dave Whittle and Rob Roberts off to the sin-bin after one bust up; put Andy Isherwood on report for a high shot on Roberts and gave Adam Bristow a yellow for interference.

The Giants kept their composure better and as the half ticked away, the result became something of a formality.

Leigh had come out with all guns blazing and had their huge following cranking up the decibel level with cries of 'O-Leigh', 'O-Leigh', 'O-Leigh' as they twice broke through for tries in the opening 17 minutes.

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ut the individual errors that were to blight their entire night had already shown up when Leon Felton fumbled in his own quarter in the fourth minute, Leigh then straying offside and Steve McNamara landing the first of seven goals.

But the Centurions were soon ahead when Bobbie Goulding and Willie Swann launched Simon Baldwin out wide. He stretched through a two-man tackle to send Dale Cardoza sweeping in at the corner. Neil Turley converted from the sideline.

Baldwin the hero became Baldwin the villain when his attempted pass was snapped up by Paul March who launched Hefin O'Hare on a 40 metre sprint to the line. McNamara missed the conversion but added another two points when Vila Matautia was pulled up in a tackle.

Back came the Centurions again. They mesmerised the Giants inside their own quarter as Bristow, Goulding, Baldwin and Cardoza all handled to get Oli Marns diving in at the flag.

The Giants were on the ropes and Leigh spurned the chance to keep the pressure on when Turley missed two long range penalty shots. They may have been better served finding touch and pressing for more tries.

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uddersfield thought they'd responded again when Ben Cooper had a try chalked off thanks to Heath Cruckshank's obstruction on Goulding in the build-up.

They did regain the lead again when Turley was penalised in possession, Gene drilling a kick in behind Felton for Marcus St Hilaire to score. McNamara's conversion gave the Giants a 14-10 half time lead.

A controversial try seven minutes after the re-start was the beginning of the end for Leigh. Cruckshank dropped the ball under pressure from Isherwood but the Giants got the scrum feed and Chris Thorman burst clean through to score under the posts.

The try sparked two all-in brawls, started by Roberts' unsavoury goading of Isherwood, and ending with Whittle and Roberts being binned.

The cracks were starting to appear and when Graeme Hallas made a long break to send St Hilaire streaking past Turley, McNamara's conversion effectively ended the contest at 26-10.

Huddersfield's return to the big time was confirmed a few minutes later when Thorman chipped through for Gene to gather, beat Turley and Felton, and romp away to the line.

Baldwin did have a try ruled out for a forward pass from John Duffy and later grabbed a consolation try from sub John Hamilton but Huddersfield confirmed their second half superiority when O'Hare burst clear for his second try.

Match Facts

Scorers - Leigh: Tries - Cardoza (9 mins), Marns (17), Hamilton (70). Gls: Turley 2/5.

Huddersfield: Tries - O'Hare (12, 78), St Hilaire (34, 53), Thorman (47), Gene (57). Gls: McNamara 7/9.

Leigh: Turley; Felton, Cardoza, Roper, Marns; Swann, Goulding; Matautia, Rowley, Bradbury, Baldwin, Isherwood, Bristow. Subs: Price (for Bradbury BB24, BBR 35); Duffy (for Swann 32); Hamilton (for Bristow BB46, BBR57); Whittle (for Matautia 27); Matautia (for Bradbury 53BB); Swann (for Goulding 58); Hamilton (for Whittle 67); Bradbury (for Turley 72); Goulding (for Swann (75).

Giants: Cooper; O'Hare, Crabtree, Hallas, St Hilaire; Gene, Thorman; Slicker, March, Wittenberg, Atkins, Roberts, McNamara. Subs: Cruckshank (for Roberts 24BB); Molyneux (for Slicker 53); Turner (for March 21); Rice (for Cruckshank 57); Roberts (for Wittenberg 34); Wittenberg (for Roberts 74).

Penalties conceded: Leigh 9, Giants 12.

Handling errors: Leigh 6, Giants 10.

Sin-bin: Whittle - Leigh (fighting 47); Bristow - Leigh (interference 74); Roberts - Giants (fighting 47).

On report: Isherwood - Leigh (high tackle 66).

Referee: Karl Kirkpatrick.

Attendance: 9051.

Man of match

rIN what could turn out to be his final game in Leigh colours, skipper Adam Bristow worked his socks off trying to get his team into Super League

Magic Moment

rLONG after the final hooter, the majority of Leigh's 4500 travelling army had stayed to cheer their team off. That would have meant a lot to the players in their moment of despair.

Moan

rLEIGH'S lack of composure at crucial times. Huddersfield showed them how to handle the big occasion.