VIKINGS VICTORIOUS

Widnes were great value for this win, sending their fans home in great heart, showing that when push comes to shove, Widnes can shove with the best of them.
Leigh came here in the midst of a slight slump in form, but still riding high in second place. Widnes entered the game on the back of a three match losing run, and needed to be at the top of their game to win. Believe me, they were.
New defensive formations proved difficult to beat, and Widnes look to have improved immeasurably in this department. Indeed, even when Mick Hill was sent off for obstruction (one of many ludicrous decisions by Graeme Shaw), Leigh couldn't break down the Widnes line.
The first try came to Widnes: As they were camped in the Leigh half, Paul Mansson, who enjoyed a wonderful performance, took the ball at first receiver. Then guess what he did! That's right, he threw an outrageous dummy and scampered in unopposed for an excellent try.
Liam Jones scored the conversion, as he did for the whole match. In fact, he and Wingfield didn't miss a goal attempt all day in a great display of calm kicking.
Later on in the half, Lee Hansen made one of several impressive breaks to put Widnes in a good position. When Andy Cheetham took the ball in a similar position to Paul Mansson, he was running sideways, apparently with no chance of a try. But when he turned inside, the Leigh defence just couldn't cope and Widnes went further into the lead.
A solitary penalty goal was all a sad Leigh outfit had to show for the first half as they trudged out to the changing rooms.
In the second half, it went from bad to worse for Leigh, as they had a player given the red card for flooring Lee Birdseye during a kick and chase. But they closed the gap on Widnes when Graeme Shaw gave another crazy penalty decision close to the Widnes line. As the Vikings were regrouping following Andy Cheetham's worrying departure on a stretcher, they pulled a try back.
But the next two scores came from Widnes as they put the game out of the Centurions' reach.
As they tried desperately to keep the ball alive, Leigh tried one pass too many, and the ball was spilled to the floor. Mick Hill scooped up the ball and ran ten yards into the tackler, but fed the ball outside to Phil Cantillon who scored the try that won the match.
If that try won it, the try that really rubbed the Leyther noses in it was Damian Munro's. As Widnes regathered the ball from another Leigh attacking failure, Damien Munro found himself with a clear 90 yard run to the line. He took off on the sprint and it was clear that no red shirt was going to get near him. As the fullback galloped in, he found time to turn and grin to the Southstanders. I rate this as the moment of the season so far. Absolutely priceless.
There were some excellent performances from Lee Hansen who made break after break, Tommy Hodgkinson, who revelled in the loose forward role and played his best match yet for us, Paul Mansson who pulled off loads of tackles, some trysavers. Karl Long seemed a lot stronger and if he can channel his aggression, he will soon be one to watch. Phil Cantillon is coming back to top form now that the pitches are improving, and Damian Munro is showing a greater willingness to do things with the ball in his hands.
One worrying point is the right centre position. Afi Leuila really must improve if he is to stay in the first team. There are plenty of players at the club who have better basic skills than him, and will surely be knocking at Hulmey's door soon.
Otherwise, this was an outstanding performance from Widnes, and I honestly hope they can keep it going.