Sign up to our free sport newsletter for all the latest news on everything from cycling to boxing
Sign up to our free sport email for all the latest news
Sign up to our free sport email for all the latest news
Eight years since he kicked a dramatic golden point drop-goal to save Salford’s Super League status, Gareth O’Brien is preparing to play a pivotal role in Leigh’s quest for a win that would rank even higher in the sport’s list of recent improbable moments.
Nine clubs and 12 years into a career that kicked off at his home town club Warrington in 2011, O’Brien still routinely gets messages from Salford fans thanking him for his astonishing long-range kick that capped a stunning comeback and consigned Hull KR to relegation in the Million Pound Game.
“I still get messages from Salford fans about that game, and it’s nice to be remembered for such an important part of a club’s history,” O’Brien told the PA news agency. “I’ve had a great career with some great memories, and I’m looking forward to another of those occasions on Saturday.”
Now O’Brien is charged with conjuring more post-season magic and helping Leigh land a first win at Wigan since 1983 in Saturday’s play-off semi-final, a game for which Adrian Lam’s men, shorn of star winger Josh Charnley due to injury, start as significant underdogs.
But Leigh’s habit of beating the odds since O’Brien arrived for their return to the top-flight last season, culminating in a famous Challenge Cup win over Hull KR at Wembley, then a stirring run of 10 wins from 12 to confirm a play-off place, has left the Leopards feeling nothing is impossible.
“We were written off at the start of the year by most of the pundits, and we really had to dig deep to reach the top six,” added O’Brien. “So much has changed since I first arrived here and we were expected to struggle. We’ve now become a club that wants to be fighting at the top of the table.
“Of course we will be underdogs and after the season they’ve had all the pressure will be on Wigan. It would be a hell of a story if we were able to beat them in such a big game after such a long time, and we know that if we play like we know we can, we can beat anyone on a given day.”
Wigan head coach Matt Peet is certainly taking nothing for granted as his side look to book a swift return to Old Trafford, where they ended St Helens’ four-year reign by beating Catalans Dragons in last year’s Grand Final.
Peet’s men cruised to the League Leaders’ Shield with a 64-0 win over a weakened Salford side in the final match of the regular season a fortnight ago and earned a weekend off whilst Leigh battled past O’Brien’s former club Salford in the first of the elimination play-offs.
“The biggest thing they (Leigh) have got is that they play for one another and they’re a very committed group, and they’ve got plenty of reasons to find motivation for this Saturday,” said Peet.
“I’m not surprised that we find ourselves in the semi-finals against Leigh. They’ve given us some of our most intense games in the last couple of seasons, and they’ve got some real star talent and a smart spine with players like John Asiata and Edwin Ipape who pull it all together.”
