BRADEN LEIGH REFLECTS ON THE BARROW GAME

After our clash against Barrow we sat down with Braden Leigh for his thoughts!

Workington Town centre Braden Leigh, who was asked to slot in at scrum-half for the afternoon, believes there were plenty of positives to take from a tough test against a strong Barrow Raiders side.

In extremely difficult conditions, Town showed resilience and competitiveness in what was just our second game of the year, featuring a number of new combinations and players still to return.

Speaking after the game, Leigh reflected honestly on the challenge while remaining firmly positive and optimistic about what lies ahead.

Leigh on the conditions and the opening exchanges:

“The conditions were horrible, nothing like I’ve ever played in before,” Leigh said. “Coming from Australia and playing only my second game in England, it was a real challenge, but I’m loving that side of it. English rugby is tough and physical, and that’s exactly what I came over for.

“I actually thought we started really well. We went set for set with them for a chunk of the first half and matched them, and that’s no small thing against a class outfit like Barrow.”

Leigh on stepping in at scrum-half:

“I normally play centre, so jumping in at scrum-half was something different, i have played there before so it wasn't anything new” he said. “But it wasn’t about positions, it was about doing a job for the team. With a few boys missing, everyone just had to step up and fill gaps, and that’s the mindset we’re trying to build.”

Leigh on the sin bin and Town’s first-half effort:

Leigh was sin-binned for a professional foul midway through the first half and reflected candidly on the moment.

“I was frustrated with the decision and felt a little hard done by,” Leigh admitted. “But I take responsibility for it. My focus straight away was on getting back on and making amends for the boys.

“What I was really proud of was how the lads responded. We defended for long periods, had very little ball, and to go in at half-time only 14–0 down was a really good result in the circumstances.”

Leigh on the second half and the final scoreline:

“I thought we came out again in the second half and matched it with them for a good period,” Leigh said. “But when you’re doing that much defence and not getting much possession or turning it over, it’s always going to catch up with you.

“Once it opened up in the back end of the second half, the scoreline probably didn’t reflect how hard we worked for large parts of the game.”

Leigh on positives, returning players and belief in the squad:

“For our second game, with a lot of new faces, I was genuinely happy with us in patches,” Leigh said. “We took a heap of positives out of it.

“There are still a handful of players to come back, including some key guys in our spine, and once we’re back at full strength I genuinely believe this group will surprise a few people. We’ve also made some strong signings and really improved the squad, so I’m excited to see those boys get out there as well.”

Leigh on supporters and the weekend ahead:

“The support that travelled over definitely didn’t go unnoticed, especially from me, I've never experienced that much support ever” Leigh added. “We’re determined to repay that, especially when we’re back at home."

“Now it’s all about Blackbrook. We’re keen to respond, put in a strong performance and get back in the winners’ circle. There’s a good feeling around the group and a lot for fans to be excited about as the season builds.”

Our next match is an away match against Blackbrook this Sunday the 25th of January at 2:00pm in the second round of the Challenge Cup with the winners to play Super League Giants, St.Helens, at home on the weekend of the 6/7/8 of February!

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