SUCCESSIVE victories over a side from the top five has seen the Centurions adjust their sights.

While once they would have been happy to finish anywhere outside the bottom two, they have now targeted a place in the top five and a shot at the end of season Division One play-offs.

"I've said all along that we have nothing to fear in this division," says coach Keith Latham. "It's taking time for us to adjust but when we get it right, we can live with the best," he added after the second placed Hawks had been shot down.

Latham and the fans had just emerged from an emotional wringer having seen the Centurions lose it, win it, lose it and win it again.

"It was a nailbiter but I was always confident that if we could get some pressure on their line, somebody would come up with the goods," Latham revealed.

The unlikely hero was Aussie back rower Steve Garcis, a late substitute for Tim Street, who clattered his way over for the winning try in injury time.

But Leigh's chances of collecting a fourth successive home win looked distinctly grim when they went in for half time 19-6 down.

"We were quite calm about things at the break," Latham admitted. "We knew we'd made our mistakes and provided we didn't repeat them, then we'd get back in the game."

A now customary slow Leigh start saw them 13-0 down inside 16 minutes to tries from Rob D'Arcy and Matt Green with Ian St John Ellis landing two goals and Paul Mansson a drop goal.

In a foretaste of what was to come, Leigh piled on the pressure and the Hawks cracked. Phil Kendrick collected his second try in successive matches when he raced onto Jason Donohue's perfectly weighted kick to the posts and Jason O'Loughlin landed the first of five goals.

But their comeback was almost strangled at birth as the menacing Mansson sent Rob Wilson tearing through for the Hawks' third first half try.

The second half saw Leigh totally transformed.

They announced their intentions as early as the 44th minute when livewire Anthony Murray and Kendrick combined to send Keiron Purtill in for his first try in Leigh colours.

O'Loughlin goaled and added two quick-fire penalties as the Hawks' lack of discipline handed the initiative firmly to Leigh.

The Hawks committed every offence under the sun and were lucky to finish the game with a full compliment, especially after Wilson laid out Stuart Donlan with a high tackle.

But Leigh kept their cool and went in front for the first time when the Murray/Kendrick combination split the defence wide open and Murray gleefully scampered to the posts for a six-pointer that put them ahead for the first time.

Leigh looked to have ruined all their good work when slack defending allowed St John Ellis to nip over nine minutes from time and make it 22-23.

But after John Gunning had badly sliced a kickable penalty, Murray's gamble to run a blind side move in injury time turned up trumps with Garcis muscling over for the winner.

Leigh: Donlan; Ingram, Purtill, Kendrick, Hill; O'Loughlin, Donohue; Street, Murray, Pucill, Whittle, Grundy, Costello. Subs: Garces, Liku, Gunning. Jenkins (not used).

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