Leigh assistant coach Kurt Haggerty will take over as head coach in the short term after Duffy's departure.
And if it hadn’t been for the last couple of games how many on here would be screaming to get Duffy signed up?
I hope he bounces back, Leigh took all their long term planning and threw it away to live the dream for a season. No preparation, no money, no team for the level they’d be playing at. Careful what you wish for.
Yes, very true that. It is "all or nothing thinking" which rules Rugby League when teams aspire to get into the top flight. Some think it adds to the excitement of the game, but it only excites those who watch the fringe clubs battle it out for financial survival, whilst they watch on eating their caviar and champagne. Thankfully, football fans rejected what Rugby League fans swallowed hook line and sinker in 1996. Sky still rule our product and the game is dying from its core, I am afraid........
Leigh took all their long term planning and threw it away to live the dream for a season. No preparation, no money, no team for the level they’d be playing at. Careful what you wish for.
100%.
Looking at it another way Leigh could bounce straight back up in 2023 and have a year's SL experience under their belt.They could be using this season as part of their long term planning.
Looking at it another way Leigh could bounce straight back up in 2023 and have a year’s SL experience under their belt.They could be using this season as part of their long term planning.
😁😁😁
Or they could have been given a two year relegation free franchise? Pressure would have then been onto other struggling SL clubs to improve.
The gap between Championship and SL , especially with the top end SL clubs adopting an “I’m alright Jack” approach is simply too big to cross unless you have a guarantee of non-relegation for at least 2 seasons and that’s not going to happen.
Opinion was divided on here when we didn’t apply but I was glad we didn’t. I don’t think it is an exaggeration to say we would have gone out of business had we applied and been successful. I think that if Beaumont stops throwing good money after bad it will be curtains for Leigh.
It was clearly a poison chalice. Had we been in a position to apply and been accepted it would have been a disaster. But a fair few suggested we were showing a “lack of ambition” by not doing so.
It was clearly a poison chalice. Had we been in a position to apply and been accepted it would have been a disaster. But a fair few suggested we were showing a “lack of ambition” by not doing so.
The point is that we were not in a position to apply and the Club admitted that. There was no chance that Widnes would have been selected ahead of Leigh, Toulouse, London, York, Featherstone or Bradford. So in the end, the right decision was made.
Just a thought though. In the remote chance we make the top 5 and are in the play-off final this year, will we be in a position to go into SL or would we just look forward to another disastrous season and certain relegation?
Leigh have not signed any stand-out players and it looks to me that Beaumont has not been prepared to put in a huge investment, in the likelihood of relegation. Maybe he knows something about the RFL/SL plans!!!!
It was a kamikaze decision by Beaumont to accept the place in SL.
He would have been better letting somebody else go for it, they would have been pretty much favourites to go up next year.
Instead he will see his sub standard SL side have a few players picked off at the end of the year and will be back to square one, where as teams already in this division will be 12 months on in progress, hopefully including ourselves, who will have had time to adjust to the ft/pt split in the squad.
As
The gap between Championship and SL , especially with the top end SL clubs adopting an “I’m alright Jack” approach is simply too big to cross unless you have a guarantee of non-relegation for at least 2 seasons and that’s not going to happen. Opinion was divided on here when we didn’t apply but I was glad we didn’t. I don’t think it is an exaggeration to say we would have gone out of business had we applied and been successful. I think that if Beaumont stops throwing good money after bad it will be curtains for Leigh.
There doesn't seem to be any moves to resolve the situation and the decision to reduce the breadth of the academies should drive an even bigger wedge between the divisions. It seem as if the RFL are looking to force p/t teams out of the competition somehow and if promotion is simply a granting of a one season hammering it will sever the link good and proper.
I can't help thinking that Degsy will be left feeling very much 'used' and abused. Welcome in to make our fixtures easy but your not really wanted. I have no great affinity with him but Degsy has put his money in, as best he can, and wears his heart on his sleeve as far as Leigh are concerned.
If the Championship share of the Sky pot is cut too severely, as it may be, a forceful bloke like Beaumont, feeling 'wronged' by the powers that be, could be the figurehead to start a split and a reversion to the original principles - part time, got to have a job.
Am I being harsh by saying this to Leigh? "You applied for SL, knowing you'd be late with recruitment. You were accepted into SL, knowing you'd be late on recruitment. You've made your bed, lie on it."
I said at the time, Toulouse should've been given the nod, and I 101% stand by those comments now.
Spelly.
Agree Toulouse were the smart choice, but I would be shocked if they don't go up this year (no offence to our friend from Featherstone!).
My impression of Degsy is that he felt that they could sneak ahead of Salford or Wakefield: they are still only 2 points behind Salford anyway. If they get a good new coach and a couple of extra signings they may, just may, have half a chance.
As far as we are concerned, there was no chance we would have got it so why waste the energy?
Also, you can talk about long term planning and building until you are blue in the face, but you need to see tangible progress. The jury is still out for me on whether we are seeing any here....
Will there be a parachute payment this time round? If so, it could prove very beneficial to Leigh. We'd all have the same scraps given to us by SL but Leigh could also end up with a nice wedge of cash too.