Exclusive: Former Leigh Centurions star opens up on Derek Beaumont and his stay at the club

When Blake Wallace signed for the Leigh Centurions ahead of the 2021 season, it was almost a saving grace for the Australian.

The halfback had been a constant figure for the Toronto Wolfpack since joining the Canadian club back in 2017.

However, 75 appearances later and the Wolfpack withdrew from Super League due to an inability to fulfil their fixture list.

That left a number of Toronto stars without clubs – and Wallace was one of them. It did, however, mean that Leigh Centurions gained a halfback chomping at the bit. And, the 29-year-old was grateful for both clubs.

“I loved my time at both clubs,” Wallace said.

“I’m extremely grateful I got the opportunity to play the game I love professionally and can’t thank both Toronto and Leigh enough for giving me that opportunity.”

His career at the Centurions was, however, cut short by a severe concussion problem that meant Wallace played just three games before he had to retire.

“It was extremely frustrating because all I wanted to do was play.

“A lot of the stuff I had to deal with caught me by surprise and a lot of the questions I had around the concussion couldn’t be answered because there’s no definite timeline with an injury like that.”

Of course, the owner of Leigh, Derek Beaumont, has always attracted attention for his outspoken views, but Wallace couldn’t be happier with their relationship.

“Derek was really good, he’s very passionate about the club and I can’t thank him enough for how he stuck by me when I got injured.”