A place at Old Trafford against last night’s controversial victors, Hull KR, awaited the winners of the Borough Derby as league leaders Wigan Warriors faced a resurgent Leigh Leopards in a crucial eighty minutes which could have ended in ‘business as usual’ or herald the dawn of a new order at the top of the game.

Wigan were clear favourites with the bookies after sweeping aside the challenge of Hull KR for the minor premiership but despite a ten-point handicap on the coupon they took the field under few illusions that the Leigh side, under their former coach Adrian Lam, would be massive in opposition.

The Brick was a sea of red and white as the crowd reached fever pitch ahead of kick off.

Forget the regular season, forget previous games, this was the end of season play-offs as fourth placed Salford Red Devils looked to progress after a great season as they took on a Leigh Leopards side who have cast aside all those in front of them after a terrible start to the season to end up in fifth place.

Despite finishing the season lower in the table, the bookies made the visitors slight favourites as they came into the game on the back of an excellent run of form and handicapped them by two points on the coupon.

Salford won the first 2024 meeting between the two sides back in March by ten points, but have since being thrashed twice by the Leopards, most recently at the Magic Weekend when they lost by 26-0.

If there was a trophy for most improved side throughout the 2024 season then it would already be safely on display in the Leigh Leopards trophy cabinet as the continued their increasingly likely drive for a top six finish with a trip to struggling Castleford Tigers, their eyes firmly on fourth spot in the table.

Leigh have only lost two games in the last two months and both of those were to defending Champions, the Wigan Warriors, after losing their opening three fixtures of the season and looking like they would be struggling at the bottom with London, Hull and tonight’s opponents Castleford.

The season had been over for weeks for the hosts and they were simply playing for pride and the possibility of finishing the season in ninth place.

Super League’s form team, Leigh Leopards, had their eye on a place in the top six and they would achieve it with a victory over tonight’s opponents Warrington Wolves who themselves were looking to make it into the top two in a bid for a home tie in the play-offs.

Should the Leopards secure the points then they would go above St Helens and Catalans into fifth spot, ahead of those sides playing their round twenty-four matches.

There was nothing to choose between the sides, the bookies making the home side the slight favourites and handicapping them by two points on the coupon.

Leigh Leopards have a laser like focus on just one thing in 2024, and that is to unseat either the Catalans Dragons, St Helens or their nearest neighbours Salford Red Devils and secure a place a the end of season play offs.

What stood in their way today was a London Broncos side who have shown some improvement in form throughout the 2024 season and who knew a win was likely to lift them away from bottom spot in the table and plunge Hull FC into further turmoil with just four games of the regular season to go.

The visitors were strong favourites with the bookies, London having been given a twenty-two-point start on the coupon, and seventh place in the table beckoned as the Leopards looked to be positioned just a point adrift of their competitors for the last of the six places.

You can guarantee that Adrian Lam’s Leigh Leopards will not give up on a play-off place until it is mathematically impossible for them to achieve a top six finish and with seven rounds to play they are still in the game as they hosted a forlorn Hull FC side who are anxiously looking over their shoulders at the London Broncos and last spot.

The visitors were given a twenty-two-point start on the handicap coupon illustrating that the bookies believed that they had little to no chance of grabbing the win and breaking Leigh hearts but after the Rhinos big victory over Wigan last night there was nothing certain about any outcome in the closing rounds of Super League 2024.

The long delayed, and now much anticipated, Round Two clash between the Wigan Warriors and Leigh Leopards was a special Tuesday night treat as the two sides played their re-scheduled early season fixture which had been postponed when Wigan successfully took part in the World Club Challenge in February.

Wigan were slight favourites with the bookies, and came into the game with a four-point handicap despite losing two of their last three outings, but they were up against a Leigh side who are unbeaten in their last four and who were certain to provide a stern challenge for the defending Champions.

A home win would see the Cherry and Whites two points clear at the top of the table, a win for the Leopards would lift them above the Rhinos and into seventh spot in the table, poised for a shot at the top six should those above them slip up over the closing rounds.

When Wigan Warriors and Leigh Leopards met at the Leigh Sports Village earlier in the season it was a comprehensive victory for the Warriors by a scoreline of 40-10 but both sides knew that the recent resurgence of the Leopards meant that this was a far different prospect.

Wigan are flying high at the top of the table and tow points clear of their nearest rivals while Leigh are in ninth spot after their recent resurgence and on the fringe of the play-off places as the season heads into its second half.

The home side had been handicapped by twelve points with the bookies making them firm favourites, but Adrian Lam’s side love an upset, especially over their nearest neighbours.

It was always going to be an emotional night at Headingley as the Leeds Rhinos hosted their first game since the death of idol, superstar, and MND campaigner Rob Burrow welcoming the Leig Leopards to a sold-out stadium.

But the departure, by mutual consent, of coach Rohan Smith during the week added an extra edge with Scott Grix and Chev Walker taking temporary charge while the global search for a new coach takes place at the highest level.

Leigh had been made favourites with the bookies with the home side given a four point start on the handicap coupon and a win for Leigh would lift them above Huddersfield and just a point behind the Rhinos.

The bookies were struggling to call the game between the Catalans Dragons and Leigh Leopards as they gave the visitors just a four-point start on the coupon despite the seven-point difference between the two sides on the league table.

A win for the Dragons would see them up to fifth, a big win could see them end the weekend in fourth while victory for the Leopards would see them to within one point of the Huddersfield Giants and towards the middle of the table in their own quest for a top six place.

Both sides had a benefitted from a week’s rest for the Cup Final and were ready to go ‘guns’ blazing’ for the win in the south of France, the Dragons looking to turn around a recent poor run of form.

It’s just eleven miles between the home stadia of the Leigh Leopards and Salford Red Devils but a massive nine points on the Super League 2024 table as the home side look to build on the single point which they picked up in last weekend’s draw with the Castleford Tigers while Salford knew that a win would keep them joint top of a congested table.

The bookies had made the home side slight favourites for the win and handicapped them by six points on the coupon but the recent news of the departures of Asiata and Hardaker to Hull FC must have caused some disquiet in the ranks.

Salford won the encounter between the two sides in March by 36-24 but despite the gulf in table points, this was likely to be a close encounter.

Two sides from the wrong end if the 2024 Super League table met in the final game of round ten as the Castleford Tigers went to Leigh Leopards with both sides looking for their third win of the season to cut adrift the pointless London Broncos in last place.

The bookies couldn’t see anything other than a win for the Leopards, giving the visitors a sixteen-point start in the coupon for the first meeting between the two strugglers, mostly in recognition of the way that Leigh demolished the Catalans Dragons last time out just eight days ago.

The top of the table beckoned for the Catalans Dragons as they travelled to Leigh to take on a Leopard side who are still looking for their second win of the season as they try to pull away from the sides at the bottom of the table.

Despite the chasm between the two sides on the league table the bookies were struggling to find a favourite but plumped for the visitors but only by handicapping them two points on the coupon, perhaps the premise being that Leigh must gain a win at some point after many close losses.

Leigh are still six points adrift of eighth place Leeds Rhinos but the Dragons knew that a win would lift them to the top of the pile entering round ten next weekend.

After putting the Rhinos to the sword in round seven, you could find few people who would back against a similar scoreline at the felidae versus canidea encounter between the Wolves and the Leopards which took place on a round eight Saturday afternoon at the Halliwell-Jones.

A Wolves win by twenty-three or more points would see them back above St Helens to the top of the table, at least for a couple of hours until the Dragons played Hull KR in the south of France, while a win for ninth placed Leigh would at least give them some breathing space to the bottom of the table, but it would still leave them four points adrift of eighth placed Leeds Rhinos.

The bookies were predicting a twelve-point win for the home side but in doing so were giving some credit to a Leopards side who are improving week on week but not getting the league points that their efforts deserve.

Facing Wigan Warriors on the back of their first defeat in fifteen games is never ideal, but when you are Adrian Lam’s Leigh Leopards who are looking desperately for a win then it is doubly difficult as the two sides met for the first ‘Battle of the Borough’ in 2024.

A win by four points or more would put Wigan back to the top of the pile with a game in hand, a win for the Leopard wouldn’t improve their league position but would edge them a little further away from potential danger.

The bookies weren’t expecting a runaway win as the Leopards edge closer to their first win of the season, and they only gave the home side a twelve-point start on the handicap coupon, expecting that it might be a closer affair than many commentators and tipsters.

The East Lancashire Road derby pitted the Salford Red Devils against the Leigh Leopards in an Easter Saturday early evening kick off as the side in seventh pace hosted their historical rivals who are currently in ninth after both sides have had an indifferent start to the season.

One of these sides would give their season a kick start with a precious win, the other would remain in the doldrums, the bookies made the home side the slight favourites but after only handicapping them by two points on the coupon they didn’t believe that there would be very much in it.

It was the first time that the two sides had met in 2024, with plenty up to grabs.

Leigh Leopards entered the Challenge Cup still seeing their first win of 2024 after a disappointing start to the season and were up against Championship side Featherstone Rovers who have also had a mixed start to the season including last weekend’s loss against the Batley Bulldogs.

Leigh were without Gareth O’Brien but relieved that Lachlan Lam was back on the subs bench after suffering a gashed leg against the Rhinos a fortnight ago and they were up against a side who have been dogged by off field problems in the opening weeks of the new season.

Leigh were massive favourites for a big win, Featherstone given a thirty-two-point start n the handicap coupon, the visitors were on a hiding to nothing.

The sides could change their league position as a result of their round five Super League XXIX clash as ninth placed Hull FC hosted a Leigh Leopards side who began the game in a disappointing tenth spot and without a win in their opening three fixtures of the season.

Tony Smith welcomed back several stars returning from injury and suspension while the Leigh side continues to look strong, despite the loss of Lachlan Lam and Tom Amone, and confound the pundits as to why they have not recorded any victories so far in this campaign.

The Black & Whites were slight favourites with the bookies but with Leigh commanding just a two-point start on the handicap coupon there was very little to choose between them for a Saturday afternoon encounter.

Leigh Leopards were still seeking their first win of the season as they entered the fourth round of Super League XXIX with a game against a Leeds Rhinos side with their eyes on the top half of the table after a great win against the Catalans Dragons last time out.

The Rhinos were slight favourites with the bookies, but many pundits thought that it was too close to call with Leigh only getting a two-point start on the handicap coupon.

It was another week and another suspension for the Rhinos with James Bentley missing, but they did welcome back Mikolaj Oledzki, Leigh also made changes including the return of Tom Amone after a suspension, but they were still without John Asiata.

The magic of the Challenge Cup has reached round two with the BBC choosing the clash between two sides from the National Conference First division with the relegated Leigh Miners Rangers and Stanningley poised for a classic trans-Pennine battle.

Jus six places separated the two sides at the end of the 2023 season with Leigh finishing third bottom and Stanningley fourth from the top of their respective leagues and despite having home advantage there was a real chance of an upset in favour of the side from Leeds.

Leigh Miners were the bookies favourites for the win in their home game at Twist Lane, with Stanningley having been given a twelve point start on the coupon.