NRC Preview: Leigh v Oldham

Centurions are likely to start their Northern Rail Cup campaign without three props as Steve Nash (shoulder), Danny Meekin (sternum) and Ricky Bibey are expected to miss out on Sunday.

Leigh assistant coach Paul Rowley said: “We’ve got three props sidelined but we’ve got other players that can step into the position and do the job.”

Rowley added: “Oldham are an unknown quantity and they’ve had some players leave but we can certainly expect a lot of enthusiasm early on and we’ve got to match that.”

Oldham coach Tony Benson has confirmed that Kashley Watkins is facing two months out with a broken wrist.

Gary Sykes and Marcus St Hilaire both took part in Wednesday’s Law Cup and could feature on Sunday, as could Martin Roden.

But Paul Reilly is less likely to play after suffering a knock against Whitehaven.

Benson said: “Leigh are a much improved team and they’ve made it clear that they see winning the Northern Rail Cup as their ticket to Super League. They’ll be very tough.”