Leigh Leopards Squad 2026

January 2026, the Leigh Leopards have yet to unveil an away strip or squad numbers. The starting XIII is fairly nailed on, so I am going to make a best guess and review of the team.

1. David Armstrong - Spent most of the season with a knee strapping and is believed to have played six games with a serious ACL injury. The speedster ran around Sam Tomkins in Perpignan on one leg. Adrian Lam has so far not unlocked the try-scoring potential of Armstrong. Expected to be available in March, the combinations and set pieces should be in place and ready for his return. 15 games and 8 tries last term, the LSV is looking forward to dry tracks in the summer months.

2. Keenan Brand - 2021 Brand appeared on loan at the LSV from Warrington. He is by far the longest-serving player at the club. Offering utility at Fullback, Wing and Centre, Brand's breakout season was 2025 on the right wing. Partnering Umyla Hanley, Brand was able to touch down 16 times, placing him as the top try-scoring Leopard. The right edge became a fertile hunting ground for Leigh as teams finally sussed out how to close down the left edge.

3. Tesi Niu - Right edge centre, with the best chant in Rugby League. Built like a forward with the pace of a back, Tesi likes nothing better than running through opposition defences. Only Lachie Miller managed more Tackle Busts than Tesi, with 141 to his name. Niu only managed 6 tries, but it is anticipated he will find his way to line more often now he is hitting form. 3254 Metres from 382 carries at an average of 8.52 puts him in the top twenty for average metres and top 10 for overall metres.

4. Umyla Hanley - Originally starting out as a winger, Hanley became one of the standout centres in the competition and earned a place in the Dream Team, just above Tesi Niu. Super League fans were impressed with how Umyla was rescued from a life on the building site by Adrian Lam, when he was released by Wigan at the end of the 2022 season.

5. Josh Charnley - The 34-year-old veteran had a mixed season. A string of poor performances saw Charnley slip down the order at the LSV. A return to the squad saw Charnley break a raft of try-scoring records, and as the 2nd highest try scorer in Super League history is still on the hunt for Ryan Hall's record, sitting 8 tries behind the Leeds legend.

6. Adam Cook - The first of the new recruits. Cook has already been earmarked to replace Gaz O'Brien in the key spine position of Stand-off. It is hoped that Cook's superior kicking game, from both hand and the tee will propel Leigh into the top two positions. Much will depend on how he gels with Lachlan Lam.

7. Lachlan Lam - The most influential player in Super League. 41 Try Assists would normally see a player swoop up the Man of Steel award in any given year. Still, he was seen as the only 3rd best hal-back in the Dream Team awards. This was Lam's most productive season by a mile. Improvements in his kicking game saw him achieve 5 Forty-Twenty's, putting him on par with the best kickers in the game. Expect to see the double pump and the Sydney Harbour pass many times next season.

8. Joe Ofahengaue - One of the best mid-season signings in Super League history. 30-year-old Joe, already has 200 NRL games under his belt and arrived at the LSV with thoughts of retirement nowhere near the forefront of his mind. 15 Games and five tries for the Leopards transformed their season. An off-load game which averages nearly two a game, bore fruits to the fantastic try by Edwin Ipape against Wigan. 

9. Edwin Ipape - The jewel in the crown, confirmed his loyalty to Adrian Lam and the Leopards faithful, with a new contract which takes him to end of 2031. Any worries of him returning home to the new franchise team PNG Chiefs have been dashed. A regular try scorer, running from dummy half and huge defensive hits have made him a hero in Leigh and the Super League in general.

10. Robbie Mulhern - The Irish international prop had a relatively quiet 2025 season. Suffering a number of injuries, he failed to play to his full potential. Believed to be happy at Leigh, at the age of 31, he might see it has the last chance to mix it up with the best of the NRL. 

11. Frankie Halton - Local boy made good. Frankie had moved around before landing his dream of playing for the Leopards. A tackle machine in the 2 row, Frankie added to this, an eye for the try line. Taking the spot vacated by Kai O'Donnell, Halton was often the crash ball outlet for Lachlan Lam.

12. Owen Trout - England International, Trout has flourished under the stewardship of Adrian Lam. Enjoying both the position of Prop forward and 2nd row when required. On numerous occasions was seen skipping his way to the try-line, most notably in the Magic Weekend game against Catalans Dragons. Last year of current contract, rumours suggest that Trout was wanting more money than Wigan Warriors were prepared to pay. He does have ambitions to go to Australia, but everybody wants him to stay.

13. Isaac Liu - Last season Liu had big shoes to fill, with the loss of John Asiata. Issac is not a natural loose forward but he certainly grew into the role. Every present in the Leigh side the "Iceman" always took the right option. Not risking passes and dangerous off-loads he would take the ball and drive. 300 career games and two NRL Grand Final medals to his name, it is surprising that he goes under the radar. Out of contract at the end of the season, LIU would still be good for another 2 seasons.

14. Aaron Pene - An injury-affected season, Pene is incredibly athletic for a prop forward. Perhaps he has not hit the heights expected of him, but he is still a useful bench forward.

15. Jacob Alick-Wienke - The PNG International 2nd row forward is a direct replacement for the departing Ethan O'Neill. Highly rated by Adrian Lam, we will reserve judgment. Certainly a big unit at 6ft 4in.

16. Gareth O'Brien - the 34-year-old Gaz O'Brien has had a mixed career. Whatever team he plays for they have looked to replace him. Always plays the game at 100% but as a result receives more than his fair share of HIA's. Leigh will look to use him sparingly and would not be surprised to see him move into coaching. Good cover ain the halves and at full-back.

17. Liam Horne - The much under-rated PNG international will provide plenty of cover at both 9 and 13. He provides a similar range of skills to Edwin Ipape and will benefit from working with Edwin and Adrian Lam. Having spent the last 3 years at Castleford, it will be a nice change for Horne to work behind a pack with more go-forward.

18. Bailey Hodgson - A breakthrough season for Hodgson, playing both on the wingand at full-back. He will start the season as the first-choice full-back until Armstrong is fit and ready to go. Bailey's stats for 2025 are amazing with 498 carries, 3907 metres at an average carry of 7.85. Hodgson offers the team a different dimension to Armstrong, and it would be wonderful to have an amalgamation of the two players. It will be very hard to keep such a talent out of the playing squad.

19. Jack Hughes - The 34-year-old veteran with 295 Super League career appearances is possibly coming to the end of his usefulness. Last season he featured in almost every match-day squad. If Jack only makes 10-15 appearances, that means that the Leopards have a relatively clean bill of health. Often playing as a generic forward, the team will have a dip in performance, often on at the same time as Matt Davis. A faithful squad player was released by Warrington 3 seasons ago because he was not quite good enough.

20. Matt Davis - "The Axe", not quite big enough for the modern game, lacks basic passing skills, but he does chase hard to harry the kicker. 2025 was a good season for Davis, with the most number of tries in a season (4) and 27 match appearances.

21. Andrew Badrock - Badrock gained the trust of Adrian Lam, and can be expected to appear in that strange hybrid role 2nd row/centre. Appeared to be not out of place in either role and can expect to make more than the 13 appearances he managed in 2025. At 25, Badrock is still learning the game.

22. Ben McNamara - At the age of 24, McNamara as been in around Super League setups for the last 5 years. Although talented, there is a nagging doubt that he will ever get regular game time in his chosen position. This season will see him drop down another peg, with Adam Cook, who is a similar age. 

23. Innes Senior -  Senior comes into the squad as a direct replacement for Darnell McIntosh. It is not obvious who got the better of the deal between Leigh and Castleford. Senior has struggled to settle down earlier in his career, but did have stability at Castleford. Innes managed 14 tries in 2024 and appears to the casual observer to have more pace than McIntosh. How many games Senior makes remains to be seen.

24. Louis Brogan - Brogan, another Leigh lad. He has made several appearances, but has never set the world alight. Trusted by Lam to do a job, it is hoped he will eventually blossom into a regular squad player.

25. AJ Towse - Towse has a 100% win record with Leigh. Chances have been fleeting, but Lam has no issues deploying him when needed.

26. Will Brough - An early-season injury to Brough curtailed his Leigh career. He is a young lad, and whilst talented, it may still be a few years before he gets his chance.

27. Nathan Wilde - Wilde has been drafted on a few occasions, but it remains to be seen if he gets a chance in the near future.

28. Ryan Brown

29. Oliver Polec - New signing, unsure what the plans are for this young man.

30. Brad Martin - Forgotten man. Is he still with the club?

31. Kavan Rothwell - another forgotten man. Is he still with the club?