Leigh Leopards were ten-point favourites with the bookies to
consolidate their fourth place in the table with a win over an embattled
Warrington Wolves side who are all but mathematically out of the play-offs and
still reeling from last week’s loss against the Salford Red Devils.

This was the fourth, and probably final, meeting between the
two sides in 2025 and while Leigh had won both previous games in Super League,
they won’t forget that they were knocked out of the Challenge Cup by the Wolves
May at the semi-final stage.

The biggest score gap between the two sides was in that
Challenge Cup game when Warrington won by seven, but with the recent awful form
for the home side the expectation was that this would be an easy afternoon for Adrian
Lam’s visitors.

An over eager kick off from Mark Sneyd sailed directly into
touch, it was an early portent of doom for the home side.

On their second attack, Leigh got a set restart on the
Wolves line and with four minutes on the clock Umyla Hanley put in Keenan Brand
free in space down the right to score in the corner. Gareth O’Brien was well
wide with the conversion attempt but on the opening exchanges it looked ominous
for Warrington.

But rather that kick on and burst the dam, Warrington held
firm and then took the game to Leigh and created chances of their own.

It took until the thirty-first minute for Leigh to get their
second try when Matt Davis chased down an Edwin Ipape grubber to the sticks to
stretch and ground one handed. This time O’Brien hit the target for a 10-0
lead.

On fifty minutes the Leopards further extended their lead when
a looping pass found the hands of Brand to spectacularly leap for the corner to
ground for his second of the afternoon. O’Brien added the conversion for a 16-0
lead, after a valiant effort from Warrington the game now looked to be beyond
them.

Try number four came from Umyla Hanley who took the ball ten
metres out from the line and span out of the tackle to dive in. O’Brien was on
target again and with fifteen minutes remaining the visitors had a 22-0 lead.

The floodgates were now open when on sixty-eight Bailey
Hodgson stepped past two defenders to go in from ten. O’Brien hit the mark
again for 28-0.

Warrington avoided the ignominy of not scoring when Toby
King picked up a consolation try on seventy-two. On his last home game in the primrose
and blue, Stefan Ratchford was handed the ball and he added the conversion for
6-28.

Two minutes later Josh Thewlis got the Wolves second, taking
a Matt Dufty pass down the left wing and scoring in the corner. Ratchford added
a second conversion, Warrington now sixteen points adrift.

But the fightback was short-lived as Brand completed his
hat-trick on seventy-eight, taking the ball from Hanley ten from the line to cut
inside and score. O’Brien kicked his fifth of the game for a final score of
34-12.

Leigh are confirmed in fourth and still within striking
range of Wigan Warriors in second should results in the last two rounds go
their way, while Warrington can now finish in no other position than eighth
after a disappointing season which promised so much before the start of the
season. Warrington put in a decent stint but were never a match for their
visitors who are now in warm up for the end of season jamboree with a hope of
reaching Old Trafford in early October.

Warrington Wolves: Dufty, Thewlis Josh (T), King (T),
Ratchford (G 2/2), Thewlis Jake, Sneyd, Hayes, Philbin, Walker, Yates, Stone,
Fitzgibbon, Matterson. Subs: Powell, Holroyd, Wood, Thomas. 18^th
Man: McKinney.

Leigh Leopards: Hodgson (T), Brand (3T), Niu, Hanley (T),
Charnley, O’Brien (G 5/6), Lam, Pene, Ipape, Mulhern, Halton, Hughes, Liu. Subs:
Trout, Tuitavake, Davis (T), Dwyer. 18^th Man: Badrock. 

Half-Time: 0-10.

Full-Time: 12-34.

Score Progression: 0-4, 0-8, 0-10 : HT: 0-14, 0-16, 0-20,
0-22, 0-26, 0-28, 4-28, 6-28, 10-28, 12-28, 12-32, 12-34 :FT.

Lead Exchanges: Leigh.

Referee: Chris Kendall.