Leigh 86, Keighley Cougars 0

COUGARS were given an absolute pasting as Leigh sent out a warning to the rest of the Championship ahead of the new season.

It was Paul March’s side’s second friendly outing but they were simply no match for a Leigh outfit who are expected to push hard for promotion to Super League this year.

Leigh have gone full-time this season and the quality in their squad was clear to see.

Leigh host the Bulls in their Championship opener on February 15 and look certain to give Jimmy Lowes’ team the sternest of tests.

This was their third straight pre-season win and they led early on when Adam Higson crossed the line.

Centre Tom Armstrong soon grabbed a second before Tommy Goulden added a third and Jonny Pownall struck twice.

Liam Kay then scored a brace after Leigh introduced veteran NRL star Fuifui Moimoi off the bench.

Goulden touched down again and the one-way traffic continued after the restart as Leigh claimed another 44 points with tries from Ben Reynolds, Gregg McNally, Kurt Haggerty, Jonny Walker, Pownall, McNally, Ryan Brierley (2) and Kay.

Moimoi, meanwhile, clashed with David March and a bout of fisticuffs ensued, with the incident put on report.