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Well, look who we have here, pitch-side at the Hill Dickenson Stadium. We haven't seen much of you recently. You've been busy? I've been a little busy. I've been a I'm just looking at my season ticket. See, he's up there in that stand, so it's nice to be back here. That's where I'm going to start. You're an Everton fan, but let's just stab establish your rugby league credentials because your association with rugby league goes back to your childhood. It does. In the early '80s, Everton were having one of their many bad phases, and my brother said, "You know what? Leigh are doing all right. Let's go and jump
on that bandwagon." So, we went down. Mickey Martin was our neighbor, and he took us down. It was the season of Desi Drummond, John Woods. I saw Leigh lift that league championship at Hilton Park. So, yeah, I've been a Leigh fan ever since. You're You're no stranger to the terraces at the Leigh Leopards. No. No, I go a lot. And obviously, was quite involved as the MP for Leigh in the building of the Leigh Sports Village. So, yeah, worked with Mr. Beaumont over the years, and it does my heart so good to see Leigh playing in my home ground, Everton Football Club. These are the two greatest loves of my sporting life. To see them together in this uh moment tonight is massive for me.
Well, we're delighted to have you here, pitch-side, Tom. Yeah, I'll be honest, I was expecting you to be coming up in the running shorts today. Given it's not a work day, is it? Is it Is the dress code not good in the fans bar? There are such a thing, Sam, as decency laws in this country, and I can't offend them. But, I'm hoping to go on to other things, you know what I mean? You know, you so well known as a runner. You're into your marathons and all that. Now, we all go through tough training, pre-seasons. I want to know what goes through your head when you go and stomp in the tarmac, running these marathons.
How do you deal with head noise? Well, you know, I have to do it to help me deal with everything because if I go on a long run, I've been on the park running Leigh today at Pennington Flash. It just helps me like release a bit of tension. It gets me head in the right place. So, I couldn't live without it, to be honest. So, I'm afraid I'm going to have to carry on scaring people with me revealing running shorts for some time to come. I've had these skinny legs out for 18 years on telly. I've seen them more than defended. The people of Golden are well used to them, I can tell you.
Talking of getting rid of pressure and stress, you used running to get rid of all of the stresses of being in charge. We all have great examples in sport of fantastic leadership. Sports coaching sometimes is the hardest field to get leadership right. What is it that makes a great leader in your eyes, Andy? I think it's it's a great question, Don. It's like setting high ambitions, but then being prepared to walk in everybody's shoes and understand how everyone in the team is feeling and show that you're prepared to stand alongside them and understand that. We've got a great leader here,
obviously in Adrian Lam, but I'm actually thinking of the great David Moyes, who very much is like that. He's a person who gets alongside people and understands them and gets the best out of them. So, yeah, that's Is that your style? Are you a David Moyes style leader, then? Uh yeah, as mayor of Greater Manchester, I followed the Moyes playbook, hopefully. Yeah, I probably did better than him in Manchester than David Moyes did in Manchester, but I imagine so, yeah. Andy, you'll be well aware that in our and our supporters will be well aware, in our 131-year history, we've never had a rugby league supporter in the highest office in the country, in number 10 Downing Street. If it comes to pass, and we I know
It's all three if. If it comes to pass, how proud would you be to be representing this great sport in the highest office in the country? I would be massively proud. I am a former president of the Rugby Football League, and so have that honor was huge for me, but I would back this sport from the highest office. Sir Lindsay Hoyle does that with great distinction as Speaker of the House of Commons, but perhaps the two of us can form a pretty powerful axis if it does come to pass for this sport because I think this sport does need more. It's a brilliant spectacle. This Magic Weekend
is fantastic, isn't it? And this great new home for Everton Football Club. But I think Rugby League deserves more. We saw Sir Kevin get his rightful recognition. But how is it that's the first? You know, where is Rugby League's recognition more broadly? Where's the investment in the grassroots facilities? We've got an amazing infrastructure in the Wigan Borough, but they do a lot of it themselves and I'd like to see more backing for the sport at every single level. And it's great to see the women and girls game flourishing as well. So, yeah, you'll have two powerful backers if all of the plans are fulfilled. we've heard about HQ in the north as well. You're aware there's a Downing Street in Leigh.
Yeah, there is a Downing Street in Leigh. Yes, there is. Is it the most photographed street in the UK? wouldn't it? Just off Firs Lane there. Okay, listen. I've been asked to ask you as well, any chance of a Larry the Leopard coming to number 10 Downing Street and replacing the cat? Well, there's another cat there, isn't there? That'll be a bit of a controversial one there, but Okay, winner stays on. We want to partake in this with you. The premise is pretty simple. Two names, you pick your player, Andy Burnham MP.
Yeah. Let's start with Edwin Eapole or Des Drummond? Oh, sorry Edwin. I'm going to have to go with Des Drummond there. Des Drummond or Sam Tomkins? Well, this is a bit dangerous where I'm standing right now, isn't it? He was a fine, fine player. He's a fine, fine Um it's Des Drummond. Des Drummond or Martin Offiah? Ooh. I mean, oh god. Me heart, you know, obviously me loyalty says Des, but I think Martin may edge that one.
We'll test your loyalties again. Martin Offiah or Mick Martyn? Oh, Mickey Martyn. I've got to go Mickey Martyn. He was me great friend, me great backer. Mickey Martyn was an incredible Rugby League player. so yeah, massive shout out to Mickey. We miss him so much. Mickey Martin or Sam Burgess who's coaching Warrington? Mickey Martin. Mickey Martin or Alex Murphy? Oh, hey. Oh, that now that is getting hard now. It gets harder. I'm going Mickey Martin. Mickey Martin or Sir Billy Boston? Oh, I love Billy. I absolutely love Billy. He's such a diamond of a person, isn't he, in every way.
Mickey Martin. Mickey Martin or Bevan French? Mickey. Mickey Martin or Ellery Hanley? Well, I know Ellery was an absolutely incredible player in the '80s, but I'm still Mickey. This isn't the ending I thought we'd have. Mickey Martin or Andy Farrell? We've got two to go. Oh, it's it's Mickey. Mickey Martin or Sir Kevin Sinfield? Oh. No, that's You're going to get used to crying out the names that you're throwing at me. I don't know. Kevin, I see a bit of him so I Stick to your guns.
Hey, stick to your guns. No heckling from the cheap seats, the opposition. Oh, Mickey Martin I know Mickey's family will be watching this, Susan and Stuart. Listen, I'm sorry to you both, but I'm going to have to go for Sir Kevin, I'm afraid. Sir Kevin Sinfield, final one, or the man who's got a statue at Leigh Leopards' home ground, the great John Woods? The great John Woods. You know, I'm with the mayor of Liverpool up there in the stand, and the mayor of Liverpool was a Brickie. And uh John Woods worked on the same building site as Steve. And on a Monday, he'd come back from
playing for Leigh, and he'd go straight into the hall and go to sleep. So, John Woods would go and sleep. As Steve said, no other person could go into a building site in Liverpool and do that and no one drag him out, but nobody touched John Woods all day as he was. Woods? Yeah, it's yeah, it's Sir Kevin, I'm afraid. Okay, Sir Kevin Sinfield. We saw you drinking a pint. How much is a pint here? That's another question you're going to get. Too much. £6.50. Too much, but we've got to pay for Jack Grealish somehow, right? Okay, magic prediction times. Sam, give Andy your sheet. We're going to ask you for a bold, left-field prediction for your Leigh Leopards
against the Warrington Wolves. Sam, John, your predictions, your magic predictions here. Andy Burnham, MP. Fold it up. John, if you want to fold yours up and put it in. Sam, fold it up. Andy, fold it up. I wrote mine earlier. There we go. Sam. Thank you very much. I'm just going to get a quick glimpse of Andy Burnham's. What does triple lock mean? Is that a rugby league term? I think it's a rugby league term. Or rugby union, maybe. What's that? Hey.
Behave yourself, Andy. Who's your defensive starter? We're going to reveal these after the game. Hey, listen. Thanks very much. We do appreciate your time. Cheers, Sam. Andy Burnham. You've been going really good, you two, in your mystic Great. your mystic predictions this year on magic weekend. Before every game, we ask you for a significant, a bold, and ambitious prediction. Nothing's come to pass. ambitious. Too ambitious. Nothing's come to pass. We're going to ask you to reveal them and read them out. And of course, if you joined us before the Leigh Warrington game, we had the Prime Minister in waiting, Andy Burnham, a Leigh fan, here
with us in the Sky Sports with Sky Sports pitch side, and we asked him for his mystic magic prediction ahead of his Leopards against the Warrington Wolves. So, John Wilkin, reveal. Right, I'll go first. Sam Tomkins, reveal, please. Thank you. Sam. Oh, I was so wrong. Hat-trick. Yeah. Well played, lads. It really is a magic hat cuz I did not write that. I said it'll be a convincing win for Leigh Leopards actually. ready? Yeah, go on. Are we ready? For the Andy Burnham MP for the moment Well, he went for the Leigh Leopards, 50 points to 10. He's got 10 on the brain.
50 points to 10. He's got the best out of all And you can check the handwriting. He's the expert. Get him on next week as well. He is. He's a real Billy K historian as well. Mick Martyn expert. If he was a mastermind Mick Martyn specialist subject Mick Martyn. How loyal was he to Mick Martyn? I thought he's going to make it all the way. The winner stays on. Yeah, yeah, okay, great. Great to have him here.
