LeighUpdates Exclusive (Part 2): We Speak to Leigh’s Ryan Brierley

Yesterday saw the first of our two part build up to the Challenge Cup quarter final on Friday at the LSV.  We brought you Danny McGuire’s opinions on the intriguing match up and now its time for Ryan Brierley to share his thoughts with LeighUpdates…

1. Lets start with Sheffield.  Another close game for the Centurions, but yet another game in which we have come out on top.  Why do you think the team are able to hold out for these wins at present?

Yeah we are going really well at the moment. Winning and losing is a habit and were doing all the right things to win games. Also there’s games when we haven’t played to our best but we still come out on top. Sunday was a prime example. That’s the sign of a good team.

2. On a personal perspective, your currently scoring tries for fun.  Again on the score sheet at Sheffield and that takes your season tally to 11 I believe.  What do you think is working so well for you at the moment and what do you feel about the game time you have been getting?

I think its just a case of being in the right place at the right time. I mean I try and look for opportunities that will get me over the try line and lucky for me, I play in a team which is really unselfish and they certainly don’t mind me grabbing the glory on the back of their hard work!

3. Looking ahead to Friday, Leigh obviously face a huge task against the World Club Champions.  What did the team make of the draw and what’s the feeling in the camp heading into such a massive game for the club?

We are really excited about the game, who wouldn’t be? Its a chance to test ourselves against the best in the world. But we are confident in our own abilities that if we perform to our best we can certainly cause Leeds some problems. Hopefully get the fans behind us and create some momentum then who knows!!

4. You’ve made your thoughts very clear about how excited you are to be lining up against your RL idol,  Danny McGuire.  What are you looking to take out of the experience of playing against such a high profile international player, and how will you and the team be looking to stop his damaging skills, along with the rest of the Leeds outfit?

Danny is a great player and has achieved so many things in his career and I’m sure he will win plenty more trophies and medals! He is a player I admire greatly and I try to model myself on him. He’s such an exciting player but for those 80 minutes I’ve got to use everything I know about him to try and stop him and his team mates. Whatever the result I will use the experience as a great learning curve and hopefully I can keep learning from Danny and if I achieve half the accolades he has I will be happy.

5. Has there been much talk of the ‘71 game around the team?  Will you be looking to past heroics of the club as inspiration for this game?

A few of the lads have mentioned it but it hasn’t been a talking point in our plans for the game. If we need to look for sources of inspiration against the world champions we are probably in the wrong job!

6. What do you feel the impact of such a good cup run has done for the team? Obviously there’s added games to the season but does it breed confidence or distract from the important league games?

When such a fixture comes along in the shape of Leeds rhinos it is very difficult to keep focused on the league. I’m not saying anyone would go half hearted but its hard to take yourself away because all the town is buzzing about it. So with that comes a great confidence in the team. These opportunities don’t come round very often so we have got to make the most of it. I just feel privileged to even be a part of it. At the start of the year if someone at said at 20 years of age I would be playing in a quarter final against Leeds I would of laughed at them and walked off!!

7.  Finally, Leigh look in good shape to push at the top of the table and compete to retain their Northern Rail Cup this season.  Is there any talk of goals for the club or is it simply take each game as it comes?  A return trip to Blackpool would no doubt delight the fans!

As a team we just take every game as it comes. But on a personal note of course I want to play in the big games come the end of the year. With the team getting to the NRC final last year, I put an added pressure on myself to make sure we get there again. Like I said before I’m 20 years old so to be playing in the Championship is a big achievement but to add a Northern Rail Cup final winners medal to that list would be a dream come true.

Twitter Users Questions:

Phil Meadowcroft - What is your greatest achievement so far?

(Hopefully) playing in a Challenge Cup Quarter Final against Leeds.

Stephen O’Dwyer - Who is your all time RL Hero?

Danny McGuire.

Glen Tither asks - You’re playing really well at Leigh, but would you rather play for a lower SL team (Cas) or a top Championship (Leigh)?

It’s difficult because my goal is to play Super League but I’m really enjoying it at Leigh at the moment so I’ve got to keep learning and improving and hopefully if I get my chance with Castleford soon I am able to take it! If not hopefully play Super League with Leigh Centurions.. You never know.

LeighUpdates Exclusive: We Speak to Leeds’ Danny McGuire!

The first of our two part interview build up begins with an exclusive chat with Leeds’ Danny McGuire.  He gives us Leeds’ side of the story ahead of the big game on Friday Night…

Leigh face a mammoth task on Friday night, coming up against the current World Club and Super League champions Leeds Rhinos at the Leigh Sports Village.  Tickets are selling fast for the big Quarter-Final round tie, and as a build up to the game LeighUpdates got in contact with Leigh’s Ryan Brierley and even managed to catchup with England RL and Leeds’ star Danny McGuire.

Ryan first agreed to speak to us late last week and mentioned how one of his heroes in the game was McGuire.  He said we should try to contact him and we were pleasantly surprised when he said he was happy to do it.  Its been a real pleasure speaking to two absolute gentleman of Rugby League, who no doubt must lead very busy lives. 

Here’s what Danny had to say to LeighUpdates.

1. Leeds had a tough game to get into the Quarter Finals, scraping a 10 - 16 win over the Salford City Reds.  Do you feel you have been rewarded with an ‘easy’ tie or are you wary of a cup upset, having seen Castleford dumped out by Featherstone earlier in the competition?

Salford gave us a really tough game and we had to really battle to get through, I think it’s the history of the challenge cup that makes teams up there performance and were sure Leigh will do the same, so although we were happy with the draw we won’t be taking Leigh lightly.

2. The club and it’s fans have obviously drawn parallels with Leigh’s famous 1971 cup win over Leeds, a shock at the time too.  How will Leeds be ensuring that doesn’t happen this time?

We’re preparing for Friday like its a super league game were doing all the same things. We’ve worked hard in training this week and we’ve got to improve on a few areas after last weeks game against hull.

3. Do you manage to follow much of the Championship and how much are you aware of teams like Leigh? The players we have, the way we play etc?

I keep an eye on the championship game and watch a few of the games on Thursday nights. I keep a look out for Leigh’s results to see how my pal tommy Gallagher is getting on. We’ve watched clips from the last couple of games and Leigh are a dangerous team.

4. You will be likely be opposite Ryan Brierley on Friday, a player who has told us you have been his RL Idol as he’s developed in the game.  Do you know much of how he plays and are you looking forward to taking on one of the bright stars of the Championship.  Have you spoke to him in the lead up to this game?

I saw Ryan play for Cas academy last year and he looked a very good player. It’s a great opportunity for him to develop his game and gain some experience playing at a higher level. I’m looking forward to playing against him and it’s nice to here that he looked up to me growing up. That makes me feel old though!!!

5. What are your thoughts on a team such as Leigh getting to this stage of the competition?  Has it rekindled a bit of the magic in the Cup and also does it show an improvement in the standard of rugby in the games second tier?

I love the challenge cup and everything that goes with it. It’s great to see a championship club in the quarters and we’ve seen some upsets along the way too which is what the cup is all about.

We also asked our Twitter Followers to send in some questions for Danny:

A friend of yours and current Leigh player, Tommy Gallagher asks - “Can you give Ryan any tips on getting bigger?”

Doesn’t need to get any bigger speed kills!!!

Stephen O’Dwyer asks - “Who is your all time Rugby League hero?”

Rugby hero’s growing up would be Schofield and Hanley.

Thomas Wood asks - “Who is the biggest player you’ve ever played against?”

Lesley Vainikolo was a beast.

Matt Lawton asks - “Will Danny be signing Ryan’s shirt and getting a photo with him? :D”

Yes going to swap shirts. Can’t let the kit men know though!!!

Sheffield Eagles 32 - Leigh Centurions 34

Leigh continued their great run of form, again coming out on top in a close fought game at the Don Valley stadium.  The last time the Centurions visited they threw away a commanding lead to lose to a late drop goal, 23-22. 

This time it would be Ridyard to land the crucial blow, a penalty with minutes to go.  Following on from his Challenge Cup drop goal drama, Ridyard again held his nerve for the Leigh cause.  Leigh had to survive a few near misses late on, but the defence held firm and moved up to 4th in the table with the win.

Leigh now look to take this good run into the Challenge Cup quarter final against the current World Club champions, Leeds Rhinos.  Hopefully a good showing from Leigh and a good crowd to boot will stand the Centurions in good stead for the rest of the season. 

We will be previewing the game later in the week, with LeighUpdates speaking exclusive to Leigh’s Ryan Brierley and Leed’s Danny McGuire.

Reliving ‘71 - Leigh to play Leeds in Challenge Cup

Leigh Centurions have drawn current Super League and World Champions Leeds Rhinos in the Quarter-Finals of the Challenge Cup, to be played at the Leigh Sports Village.

The game will be take place on the anniversary weekend of Leigh’s famous 1971 Challenge Cup win against Leeds, where the team were massive underdogs then.  The Centurions will be hoping for similar heroics this time, if they are to even live with the world leaders in rugby league.

A great money spinning tie for the club none the less, and a chance for the current Leigh team to test their arm against the best of the best.  Perhaps they too could write themselves into the clubs history books.

The full draw:

Huddersfield Giants v London Broncos

Catalan Dragons v Warrington Wolves

Leigh Centurions v Leeds Rhinos

Wigan Warriors v St Helens

Ties will be played on the weekend of 11th, 12th and 13th May 2012.  All ties will feature on TV (BBC or Sky Sports).

Leigh Centurions 19 - Halifax RL 18 (AET)

Leigh secured a stunning victory over Halifax for the second time in a row, securing a place in the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup in such dramatic circumstances.  A Martyn Ridyard drop goal in golden point extra time, sealed the win for Leigh and sent the Leigh Sports Village crowd wild. 

The draw for the quarter final stage of the competition takes place on Tuesday 1st May, at 8.20am on BBC Radio 5 Live.  Leigh will be hoping for a lucrative draw against one of their close rivals, Wigan, Saints or Warrington or may even fancy their chances at home to London Broncos.  The Broncos only narrowly avoided defeat at the hands of Batley Bulldogs to reach the quarters themselves.  Whatever the draw, the Centurions can be proud they are the only Championship team to reach the Quarter Final stage of the cup alongside the biggest names in the sport, their first appearance at this stage for seven years.