JOSH Charnley almost ended up swapping tries for trowels after falling out of love with rugby league until Leigh came along.
Now the winger is building towards sealing a history-making Challenge Cup final appearance.
Josh Charnley admits he has rediscovered his love for rugby league at LeighSWPIX.COM
Last time the newly-named Leopards reached Wembley in 1971, the UK was just getting used to using decimal currency as it was introduced just three months earlier.
Petrol cost 34p a gallon, a pint 16p, a Ford Cortina £968 and the average house £5,000.
Now Charnley hopes to end the club’s 52-year Wembley wait after getting the smile back on his face following a tough time at Warrington.
Had things been different, he would have been watching today’s semi-final test against world champions St Helens on TV after a week working in a building site.
But life is good at the moment, playing well even helps him fish well.
“I wasn’t playing, that’s one of the main reasons I wasn’t enjoying it,” Charnley said simply about life in Adrian Lam’s side.
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“Now I am again and there’s a good relationship between Lammy and I. I knew where I stood as soon as I walked into the Leigh set up.
“And enjoying it helps me in daily life – winning takes care of everything.
“You weekend is more enjoyable, family life is better. It passes into everything – fishing, golf, whatever.
“My fishing is improving, my golf is not!”
Charnley, 31, is a quiet, reserved character who admits he likes his own company. Hence why you can often find him on the riverbank.
Now he and his Leopards team-mates can make a very big noise after surprising just about everyone by winning their way to second in Super League after being promoted.
Charnley hopes to seal a first final for Leigh since 1971SWPIX.COM
If they cause an upset, even though they are above Saints in the league, it is a fair bet he will be back to the peace and quiet soon enough.
Charnley added: “You need that. Given how physically demanding this job is, you need time away from things. That’s my escape.
“And I’m not bothered by my phone going off as I can’t get a signal. That helps keep my mind clear away from this environment, even though I’ll probably have to wait until the off-season now.
“I don’t mind sitting in the rain and I can be anywhere – canals, riverbanks, even fly fishing. I’m in a syndicate that has a few waters too.
“It helps me switch off and recharge and you can’t run occasions like this through your mind before they come around.”
Charnley has been there, seen it and done it in the Challenge Cup having won it three times with Wigan and Warrington, where today’s game will be played.
But Leigh have plenty of others, including Zak Hardaker, Tom Briscoe, Jack Hughes and Oliver Holmes, while Ricky Leutele reached last year’s final with Huddersfield.
Charnley’s form has seen him mentioned in the England reckoningSWPIX.COM
And he believes the ‘old timers’ can give the likes of Lachlan Lam, John Asiata, Tom Amone and Edwin Ipape a few tips on handling matches like this.
He told SunSport: “We’ve a lot of players who have played in some big games in this team and have a lot of experience, so we’ll try and pass on what we’ve learned to the boys who’ve never been in this type of game. I’m looking forward to passing on my experiences.
“We’re a confident group. Lammy’s built that in us and we’ve been building blocks.
“We’d have all snapped people’s hands off if they told us we’d be second and in a semi-final as we were all written off.
“But we’re a confident group with some talented players in our team. We’re enjoying the rollercoaster at the minute and we know what we can do.
“We’ve heard about the historical significance but we’ll just try and build forward into this game.”
