Some doubters may have questioned Gareth O’Brien’s decision to leave Castleford for Leigh ahead of this season.
He had a year left on his deal at Wheldon Road when newly-promoted Leigh offered the utility-back a two-year contract. But on each of three times they’d come up to Super League they’d immediately dropped back down again. Ex-Warrington, Salford and Toronto ace O’Brien, 31, could have found himself playing back in the Championship.
However, things couldn’t have gone better as not only are Leigh surviving - laughing off their relegation tag - they are thriving as the biggest success story of this campaign. Ahead of his first return to Castleford tonight, O’Brien’s flying side are second in Super League and 80 minutes away from the Challenge Cup final. It’s the Tigers, ironically, who still have relegation fears hanging over them being just four points clear of bottom-placed Wakefield.
O’Brien, who has 15 try assists already, maintained: “I was always confident. I didn’t see the move as a gamble at all. I’d met with Adrian Lam and he highlighted the route the club was taking and the people they were bringing in. It all excited me. And it was a lot closer to home. I’ve a young boy who’s just turned one and that had a big influence on it: me being able to get to training and back in half the amount of time and being able to spend more time with him.
“It’s been a good decision personally and the way we’re playing backs that up. I’m really enjoying it. We’ve gelled together quicker than even we thought but we knew what talent we had in the squad. We’re riding full of confidence. We’re defending really well which is the main aspect of our success. Looking at the table, it’s a nice place to be. We’ve got some big games coming up but we’re also keeping our feet on the ground and looking to have a strong end to the year.”
O’Brien has flourished, operating at full-back where he’s formed a dynamic spine with exciting Papua New Guinea stand-off Lachlan Lam and hooker Edwin Ipape plus brilliant Aussie loose forward John Asiata. He added: “We’ve got a great foundation there. Managing to keep the spine together playing week in week out just helps the cohesion. We’ve done well to all stay fit. I’ve only missed one game through injury.
“I’ve managed to stay on the field and I’m in my favourite position of full-back again. I think I play my best rugby there. There’s quite a few games to go before the end of the season so hopefully we can keep performing like we have and who knows what could happen. Keeping fit is the main thing as we do have a small squad. Hopefully we can keep that up.”
O’Brien suffered a number of head knocks in his two-and-a-half years at Castleford which, at one point, did leave him wondering about his playing future. But he has enjoyed a largely clean bill of health with the Leopards who face St Helens for a place at Wembley and are also being talked of as genuine Grand Final contenders. Can they start thinking about those sorts of scenarios yet?
O’Brien - a beaten Challenge Cup finalist with Castleford in 2021 - insisted: “We’re probably not looking that far ahead. But we want to put ourselves in a really strong position to help our chances of making the six and have a good crack at the play-offs. We’ve that big semi-final coming up in a couple of weeks but our main focus is Cas on Friday and then Salford the week after. We need two good performances to take us into good shape.”
Castleford are in dire need of a win to make sure Wakefield don’t drag them into the drop mix. O’Brien, who joined them when Toronto folded, said: “I’m looking forward to going there. It’s a great stadium to play in. The fans are really on top of you and get behind you. And if you’re in the opposition side - which I have been in the past - they make sure they’re known!
“It’s been a tough year for them. Any year where you lose a coach mid-season is a tough one. They have been hit with injuries to key players so they are doing it tough. I've quite a lot of friends there so - apart from Friday - I’m wishing them all the best for the remainder of the season.”
