Paul Rowley left bemused by penalty count

Leigh coach Paul Rowley was left bemused by his side’s penalty count in the 32-14 defeat against Featherstone.

The Centurions must now beat either Halifax or Sheffield next week to reach the Championship Grand Final, after they surrendered a 14-6 half-time lead to lose at the reigning champions.

But Rowley pointed to 16 penalties given against his side by referee George Stokes, including a run of 14 in 17 and seven in succession, after the match.

He said: “We’ve averaged six penalties per game this season, and in the last three games we’ve gone three (penalties), a two and a three. Then today, we concede 16.

“I’ll have a look and see what we’ve been doing wrong, but it doesn’t tally up with what we’ve been doing all year.

“Have the wheels come off? No. Are we still in good form? Yes. We’ve got a lot more to give, and we’ll come back stronger.”

Featherstone half-back Liam Finn kicked four penalty goals, including one in the final minute, which came following the sending off of Kevin Henderson.

Halifax and Sheffield play on Sunday to decide Leigh’s next opponents, while Featherstone go straight on to play in the Grand Final at the Halliwell Jones Stadium on September 30th.