Josh Charnley chasing try record and Grand Final spot after Leigh charge
Leopards' winger insists he always believed they would make the top six
JOSH Charnley scoring a try is almost the third certainty in life after death and taxes.
Now to carry on a remarkable career as Leigh look to carry their momentum towards the Grand Final after a raft of injuries almost ended their hopes before they started.
The winger now sits second on Super League’s all-time scoring charts after touching down 247 times to go level with Danny McGuire – he has not given up on catching Ryan Hall either.
And he revealed just what Salford are facing as the Leopards look to reach Old Trafford.
Charnley said: “We’ve never written making the top six off. We knew that as soon as we started getting players back, we’d climb the ladder and we have.
“The injuries killed the vibe at the start of the year but we knew we’ll build nicely into the back end and this is where it all counts now.
“Making it was a big ask but the belief in the boys was massive and has set us in good stead now.
“And I’m proud to be up there and be joint with Danny. Hopefully, I can keep ticking the tries off and catch Ryan.
“Seeing my name there is crazy. Our stats man brought it up, there’s only like 40-odd games in my whole career that I haven’t scored a try in.
“I can possibly name them all! I’m grateful for where I’ve been and the opportunities I’ve had to be where I am.”
Leigh showed they have what it takes in the play-offs by seeing off St Helens 18-12 to earn a fifth-placed finish.
And Charnley, 33, hopes the run of 10 wins from 12 games that got them there can carry through the finals series.
He added: “We knew we needed the win and put everything into the St Helens game.
“And when we had 12 men, the belief remained that we could calm the ship. We’ve a lot of experienced players and now momentum’s going our way, so hopefully we can keep going on.
“We just need to take that into tonight. Salford isn’t an easy push, it’s a good challenge for us but we’ll accept it.”