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2025 Season Preview: Leigh Leopards

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It was very much a season of two halves for Leigh Leopards in 2024 with a slow start seeing them linger in the bottom half the table before an incredible run of ten wins in 12 Betfred Super League games saw them clinch 5th and a spot in those all-important Play-Offs.

The Leopards went on to beat Salford Red Devils in front of a sold-out Salford Community Stadium in the Eliminators before falling victim to a dominant Wigan Warriors in the Semi-Finals a week later.

However, there has been a lot of change at Leigh in the off-season with some instrumental players departing the club including Captain John Asiata who has joined Ed Chamberlain, Oliver Holmes and Zak Hardaker in leaving the club for Hull FC. Elsewhere, prop-forward Tom Amone has left for Canterbury, Kai O’Donnell is now a North Queensland Cowboy and Matt Moylan confirmed his retirement from the sport.

Adrian Lam has been busy recruiting replacements, and the arrival of David Armstrong is designed to fill the gap left by Moylan. The Leopards forward pack has also been bolstered by the acquisitions of Isaac Lui and Alex Tuitavake from the NRL whilst Tesi Niu will slot into the centres after joining from the Dolphins.

Leigh will be hoping for a quicker start than in 2024, but it could take some time for a host of new players to gel and find the form that made Leigh so formidable at the back end of last season.

Can the Leopards go one better in 2025?

? Gym Session pic.twitter.com/57nWi4rvob
— Leigh Leopards (@LeighLeopardsRL) January 9, 2025

Ins & Outs

Ins: David Armstrong (Newcastle Knights), Isaac Liu (Gold Coast Titans), Tesi Niu (Dolphins), Ryan Brown (Wigan Warriors), Brad Martin (Castleford Tigers), AJ Towse (York Knights), Andrew Badrock (Swinton Lions), Will Brough (Wakefield Trinity), Alec Tuitavake (St George Illawarra Dragons)

Did no one warn the Aussies it was going to be cold? ? pic.twitter.com/RHoga7ne5h
— Leigh Leopards (@LeighLeopardsRL) December 19, 2024

Outs: John Asiata, Zak Hardaker, Oliver Holmes, Ed Chamberlain, Tom Amone, Kai O’Donnell, Ricky Leutele, Jacob Jones, Jacob Gannon, Tom Nisbet, Lewis Baxter, Matt Moylan

Ones to watch

Despite a host of notable signings in the off-season it feels as though Leigh’s main man is hooker Edwin Ipape who finished the 2024 Betfred Super League season in blistering form stealing the show in their Semi-Final win over Salford.

Unbelievable impact in defence and attack ?

The best of Edwin Ipape's Eliminator performance for @LeighLeopardsRL ?#SuperLeague pic.twitter.com/gsD4N1b1iR
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) September 28, 2024

The Papua New Guinea international will be looking to continue where he left off last season and help bring this new cohort of players together, although Ipape has been struggling with an injury in pre-season.

Fellow Kumul Lachlan Lam remains with the Leopards despite talk of a move elsewhere towards the end of 2024. Lam racked up the assists in 2024 and remains integral to Leigh’s attack, but it is still unclear whether it will be David Armstrong, Gareth O’Brien or Ben McNamara who pairs with him in the halves.

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Armstrong is a real livewire, and his pace and support play could be a huge addition for Lam’s side. The former Newcastle Knight crossed for five tries in just five NRL appearances last season, including a memorable hat-trick against Gold Coast Titans.

New Zealand international and three-time NRL Premiership winner Isaac Liu could prove to be an instrumental signing bringing with him over 250 games of NRL experience across stints with Sydney Roosters and Gold Coast Titans.

Tesi Niu will be looking to make an immediate impact out in the centres following the loss of both Zak Hardaker and Ricky Leutele.

Next generation

Bailey Hodgson arrived midway through the 2024 Betfred Super League season and failed to get a runout for the Leopards following his return from Australia however he will be looking to push for a place in the coming months.

Hodgson came through the ranks at Castleford Tigers and is the nephew of former England international hooker Josh Hodgson. He most recently had stints with Newcastle Knights and Manly Sea Eagles in the NRL but spent his time playing in the NSW Cup.

Defining dates

Leigh Leopards will be involved in the opening fixture of the 2025 Betfred Super League, and it doesn’t get much tougher as they face the short trip to quadruple winners Wigan Warriors in the latest ‘Battle of the Borough'.

They must ensure a strong start, as Adrian Lam’s side follow this up with consecutive home fixtures versus Huddersfield Giants and Catalans Dragons before back-to-back trips to Hull to face FC and KR, respectively in the Super League.

There is a new Rivals Round opponent for the Leopards as they welcome Warrington Wolves to the Leigh Sports Village in Round 8. Leigh also have fresh opposition at the Magic WKND in Round 10 as they go head-to-head with Catalans for the second time in 2025.

A run of four away games on the bounce in May and June could be a defining period for the Leopards as they travel to Huddersfield, Wakefield, Catalans and Leeds.

Their regular campaign finishes with three home games from their final four hosting Leeds, Salford and Castleford with a second trip to the MKM Stadium included in that run.

Squad list

1 David Armstrong, 2 Darnell McIntosh, 3 Tesi Niu, 4 Umyla Hanley, 5 Josh Charnley, 6 Gaz O’Brien, 7 Lachlan Lam, 8 Owen Trout, 9 Edwin Ipape, 10 Robbie Mulhern, 11 Frankie Halton, 12 Jack Hughes, 13 Issac Liu, 14 Aaron Pene, 15 Alec Tuitavake, 16 Matty Davis, 17 Brad Dwyer, 18 Keanan Brand, 19 Louis Brogan, 20 Ethan O’Neill, 21 Andrew Badrock, 22 Ben McNamara, 23 Nathan Wilde, 24 Bailey Hodgson, 25 Ben Nakubuwai, 26 Kavan Rothwell, 27 Jack Darbyshire, 28 Brad Martin, 29 AJ Towse, 30 Ryan Brown, 31 Will Brough

First three games on SuperLeague+

SuperLeague+ is back for another HUGE year of live action, and this is when fans can watch Leigh Leopards in the opening rounds (UK and Ireland) *…

Round 2 – Sunday 23rd February – Leigh Leopards v Huddersfield Giants, K.O. 2.30pm
Round 5 – Sunday 23rd March – Hull KR v Leigh Leopards, K.O. 3pm
Round 6 – Friday 28th March – Leigh Leopards v Wakefield Trinity, K.O. 8pm

*Overseas viewers can watch ALL SIX Super League matches LIVE every week.

Sign up to SuperLeague+ today to enjoy over 100 LIVE games, full match replays, highlights and other exclusive on demand content!