Set of Six: Leigh on fire and where next for Benji Marshall?

Highlights of the Super League qualifier between Leigh and Salford.

Leigh on fire, more tries for Solomona and where next for Benji Marshall, feature in this week's Set of Six.

Leigh Stun Salford

Leigh became the first Championship side to beat top-flight opposition in this Super League qualifiers with a stunning 32-26 win over Salford.

Leigh led 20-10 at half time before Salford clawed it back to 20-16 in the second half, however tries from man-of-the-match Adam Higson and Matty Dawson sealed the win despite late touchdowns for Salford from Ben Murdoch-Masila and Mason Caton-Brown.

"We are not counting any chickens and the job's not done yet," said Leigh coach Neil Jukes.

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"We must get two points at Featherstone next week or else this win means little. But we are in a good place and have learned after last season's disappointments in the play-offs."

More than a finisher

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As the debate whether England should pick Denny Solomona or not rages on, the Castleford star has been getting on with what he does best  - scoring tries.

Denny Solomona reached 31 tries for the season with a hat-trick against Wigan

The New Zealand-born back was superb against Wigan where he scored a hat-trick to help Castleford to a 36-22 win in the Super 8s.

While Castleford coach Daryl Powell was pleased with his tries, Solomona's all-round work impressed him the most.

"I thought his all-round game was superb - generally when you talk about Denny you speak about try scoring but I thought he showed he really wanted to win that game.

"His work in back field, bringing the ball off our try-line was outstanding and he was really tough in everything he did... and obviously his try scoring is particularly good."

The House of Hayne

Image: Jarryd Hayne celebrates after kicking the match-winning drop goal against Wests Tigers

Former San Francisco 49ers running back Jarryd Hayne caused the biggest stir of the weekend, kicking a field goal with eight seconds remaining to give the Gold Coast Titans a 19-18 win Saturday over the Wests Tigers in Hayne's second match back in the NRL.

"As soon as I kicked it, I looked at them and said, 'I know you boys are the Tigers, it's your home ground but this is my house'," Hayne told the Sydney Morning Herald.

"You couldn't have written the script any better and I'm just blessed to kick the field goal at the ground I grew up in."

Titans captain Nathan Friend said that Haynes called for the final field-goal attempt as the game was heading into golden-point territory and was confident he would be able to make the kick.

"I was going to throw it to him [Haynes] on the second [field goal attempt] but he said to give it to Ash [Taylor] to have another go. But, on the third, he took it and I think his words were 'It's my house'... Well, he's from here," added Friend.

Raiders and Hodgson on fire

Image: Josh Hodgson has made a big impact in the NRL

Canberra's Josh Hodgson won the battle of the hookers as he went head-to-head against Melbourne's Cameron Smith.

The Raiders 22-8 over the Storm moves them up to third spot on the NRL table with just three rounds remaining, all but sealing their place in the finals.

The win means that the raiders have beaten the top two teams after last week's win against Cronulla.

It was another superb performance from Hodgson who is being hotly tipped to win the Dally M Medal as the NRL's best player.

The former Hull FC and KR player has made a huge impact in the NRL and will no doubt be a key part of Wayne Bennett's England side for the Four Nations - where he will come up against Smith once again.

Lancaster visits Warriors

Image: Lancaster sharing his knowledge with the Warriors

The Warriors invited former England rugby union coach Stuart Lancaster into their camp and he was there when Sam Burgess' South Sydney Rabbitohs stunned the Warriors with a 41-22 win.

Burgess was of course part of England's ill-fated rugby union World Cup campaign where they became the first host country not to make it out of the pool stages.

Burgess's inclusion in Lancaster's squad was controversial and the knives were out for both of them when they failed to deliver. Lancaster lost his job while Burgess decided to return to league and the Rabbitohs.

However, Lancaster is highly-regarded and Warriors coach Andrew McFadden was keen to learn from him.

"It's mutually beneficial," said McFadden to www.stuff.co.nz

"He's coached at the highest level and is a very experienced coach, so it's enjoyable to be able to talk footy and the same challenges that every coach has.

"Anything you can learn is a positive."

Marshall to Newcastle?

Image: Benji Marshall still has plenty to offer the game

While Benji Marshall will be focusing hard on ending his St George Illawarra career on a high, the question is already being asked. Where will he be going next?

The 31-year-old will not be re-signing for St George next season and while reports suggest he has made contact with several teams, Gordon Tallis believes Marshall and Newcastle would be a great fit and still has something to offer.

"The biggest challenge for Benji - in fact for all players including myself - is as you move on in your career, is to realise you have a different role within a team," said Tallis on the Sunday Triple M NRL podcast.

"You have got to put your ego in your pocket and say I am not the guy who can do that anymore but I can do this for the team.

"I think Benji has a role to play and I think it will be at a club that has inexperienced half's perhaps somewhere like Newcastle Knights.

"If he goes there [Newcastle] with someone like Trent Hodkinson who steers the ship and then Benji can do his flair stuff."

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