Crazy News Day

 

Rebuild for 2027

When Leigh builds a good team, the foundations invariably get removed from underneath them. 2024 witnessed the disbanding of the Challenge Cup-winning team, with the departures of Asiata, Amone and O'Donnell. 2026 will see the pack decimated by Mulhern and Trout leaving for new adventures. Owen Trout electing to move to the Cronula Sharks is a bit easier to understand than Robbie Mulhern choosing to go to Castleford. Good luck Owen you deserve your chance in the NRL.

The Leopards, on the other hand, are left trying to find British props in a competitive Super League market. The overseas quota space will need to be filled by a dynamic Prop, ready to come straight into the starting 13. Lammy's focus needs to switch to the remaining players who are out of contract at the end of the season. Umyla Hanley was the success story, but losing Mulhern and Trout makes it imperative that Bailey Hodgson remains at the club. As discussed yesterday, there are questions over Issac Liu Leopards are Massive: Where is Issac Liu?

Leigh Leopards are Underdogs!

Predictions from the pundits and journalist time. With the Super League launch set for kick-off on Thursday, it is compulsory to make predictions about how the upcoming season will pan out. In essence, most people are of the opinion that the top 6 is between 9 different clubs. It is, of course, guesswork and not real analysis as for were the teams will finally settle. The betting odds for the top 4 are as follows:

• 1st Place: Wigan Warriors – 2/1
• 2nd Place: Hull KR – 11/5
• 3rd Place: Leeds Rhinos – 11/2
• 4th Place: St Helens – 7/1

Picking Wigan, Saints and Leeds would appear on any prediction list from the last 30 years. In many ways, it is lazy punditry. Hull KR, of course, must be in the reckoning having managed the incredible feat of attaining the treble. 

In 2022, St Helens won their fourth final in a row, but the team has been in decline since. 2023 saw them finish in 3rd on the same points as Wigan and Catalans. In 2024, they only just managed to squeeze into the play-offs on the same points as Catalans Dragons, who finished 7th. St Helens were 12 points off 2nd place Hull KR. The Saints won only 15 games out of 27, far below the expectations of their fans. 2025 was another disappointing season with a slightly more acceptable 17 wins out of 27 games. A change of coach and a large-scale recruitment (for St Helens), and now everybody expects them to be winners again. Saints have recruited well in Klemmer and Hastings, but have lost the rock of the team with the departure of Morgan Knowles. The team are expected to attack from any position, but in the last few years, the Saints have relied on defence. Changing tack will come with it's own dangers, and somebody is going to have to make up for the 40+ tackles Knowles would make in a game. The biggest issues with St Helens in the last few years are a lack of a cutting edge in attack and the lack of a settled spine. Lomax is still at the club, but he may be an unsettling influence on the team. Alex Walmsley and Mark Percival are likely to be on the wane. Not surprisingly, Percival has been offered to other clubs to keep out of the way. Welsby appears to be the chosen Full-back but last season he was well below his usual high standard. The Ashes highlighted a player struggling mentally and physically. Tristan Sailor is not a winger or a stand-off. His only major skill appears to be blistering pace. He offers very little in defence, and teams will target his channel. Jackson Hastings will be the lightning rod for the team, but after a number of years back in the NRL, he is not the player he once was. There is talent throughout this squad, but there are also weaknesses. They will probably relish piling the points on the bottom 6 teams, but history suggests they now struggle against the top 4 and Warrington. There are just too many question marks against this team to assume that the Saints are back. As a side issue, the new captain Matty Lees is set to missthe first 8 weeks of the season.

Love Rugby League are just typical of lazy punditry - Super League predictions: Our writers tip Leeds Rhinos for title. Leeds Rhinos are another team the pundits love to love. In reality, they have had a rubbish decade so far, and are still grappling with the issues of salary cap and NRL poaching. They have a team to compete with anybody, but the squad appears to have a large number of academy players who are not quite ready to make the step up. Without injuries, they are incredibly dangerous, but if required to delve into the lower squad numbers, they might well struggle.

Aaron Bower has followed a familiar trope and suggests that Leigh Leopards will slip out of the play-offs (hopefully, Aaron wants a Derek Humble Pie). Matt Shaw oddly mirrors my predictions with Leigh to finish top and Wigan to drop out of the top 2. I was not brave enough to make the call that the Grand Finalists of the last two seasons would both finish without home sem-finals.

What is Lammy Talking About?

Love Rugby League Leigh Leopards boss bemoans ruck speed rule changes for 2026 interview with Adrian Lam. I have read the law changes but I have no idea what he is complaining about. 

"It was confirmed ahead of the start of the 2026 campaign that players would now be forbidden from encroaching within ten metres of any opponent that is waiting for the ball. They must also surrender when an opponent gains possession of the ball."

Lying on the ruck is a straightforward issue, and I am happy with how it is officiated in 2026. Not sure how Lammy thinks the game was fast enough last season, or why lying on the floor behind the play the ball is considered to be ok.

Where is Issac Liu?

 

Not a murder mystery, but as usual, Adrian Lam has been quite cryptic. Here is where the confusion arises, Adrian Lam said last week, "Of our 30-man squad, there are 11 unavailable and only 19 available" So far so good. "We’ve only got 19 to choose from for this week; there are ten players out."

From that conversation, we know the 19-man squad that was named for the trip to Colwyn Bay:

1. Bailey Hodgson
2. Innes Senior 
3. Tesi Niu 
4. Keanan Brand
5. Josh Charnley
6. Adam Cook 
7. Lachlan Lam
8. Robbie Mulhern
9. Edwin Ipape
10. Owen Trout
11. Frankie Halton
12. Jacob Alick-Wiencke
13. Jack Hughes
14. Andrew Badrock
15. Ben McNamara 
16. Nathan Wilde
17. Gareth O’Brien
18. AJ Towse
19. Ryan Brown

On top of that, we have the 4 injured against Warrington the week before:

1. Umyal Hanley (Rotator Cuff)
2. Joe Ofahengaue (3 teeth and HIA)
3. Liam Horne (HIA)
4. Matt Davis (Gash on leg with stitches)

Already missing from the friendly against Warrington:

1. Aaron Pene
2. Issac Liu
3. Louis Brogan (Injured)
4. David Armstrong (Injured - ACL)

Status Unknown:

1. Kavan Rothwell
2. Will Brough
3. Oliver Polec

The finger appears to be pointing at Aaron Pene or Issac Liu. The final piece of the jigsaw was the clue on the Leopards website, and the men's team photos.

Everybody has a photo, with the exception of Issac. If Issac has gone back to Australia, Samoa or New Zealand for personal reasons, then what is the big issue? The public have no right to know why, but if a star player is not available we should have some idea in which round to expect him back. Not because we are nosy we just want to see the strongest team available at the start of the season, especially as we face Leeds, St Helens and Wigan as the first 3 games.

North Wales Crusaders v Leigh Leopards, 7th February 2026, Challenge Cup Round 3

 

Competitive Rugby League is back! First things first, I was almost right about the match day squad. Leopards are Massive: Bring Yer Boots (You Might Get a Game). Will Brough was not included, and Ryan Brown was added due to the need to add forwards. Ben McNamara stepped down to 18th man with Gaz O'Brien entering the fray as the replacement dummy half to give Edward Ipape a rest.

A review of the backs, Bailey Hodgson was strong on carries, Tesi Niu was very quiet, but Josh Charnley was busy and collected a brace of tries. Keenan Brand, however, seems to have let last season's performances get to his head. He needs to knuckle down and complete the basics; at least he didn't get sin-binned this week. 

At half-back, Adam Cook and Lockie Lam are still working on combinations, but the new secret weapon in the Leopards' armoury is the left boot of Cooky. Standard end of sets are producing towering kicks into the corner, with plenty of time for the advancing players to get into position. There is still a reluctance to challenge for the ball, preferring to play the percentages and nail the catcher before he can start to move. A booming 30-10 kick from Cook was the highlight of his night, but his goal kicking will be the most important thing that he brings to the Leopards this season.  Lockie was much more fluid, but it took at least 20 minutes to find his feet. A brace of tries topped off a solid performance.

Forwards, a 20 minute stint from both Robbie Mulhern and Owen Trout, with more minutes in the legs,  both should be fully fit for a Super League opener next week. The second row both played 80 minutes, with Jacob Alick putting in a stint and looking a little more assured as the starting player he is supposed to be. Frankie Halton ran hard all night, but dropped at least one on the night; it was a good stint.

The reserve props Nathan Wilde and Ryan Brown (the Bash Brothers) played long minutes, with some good aspects; both might be ready for appearances on the bench in the coming weeks. The pick of the subs goes to Andrew Badrock, and if the BBC are correct, he scored a wonder try at the end, with incredible balance and perseverance. Gaz O'Brien offered good distribution from dummy half, but looked far more comfortable when moved to full-back for the last 10 minutes.

Rumours of a sell-out at the Eirias Stadium, appear to have been very wide of the mark. The travelling army of Leopards fans had a good evening on the coast, without too much jeopardy. Any signs of a banana skin were soon allayed, with Leigh firmly encamped in the Crusaders' red zone.

Adrian Lam, in the post-match interview, stated, "I couldn't have hoped for any more." 

Highlights | North Wales Crusaders vs Leigh Leopards | Challenge Cup

Strategic Review

 

Hold on to your hats, it was 12 months in the making, but now the Strategic Review has finally been released. RL Club-Led Strategic Review v3 (1).indd

Most of the juicy titbits have already been released, but I will attempt to extract the content that caught my eye.

Salary Cap

I never mentioned the words Salary Cap before, so here is what is in the review:

42. The Salary Cap should be simplified to ensure all actual costs relating to players are covered within the scope of the regulations. It should be policed. The level of the cap should be correlated with the levels of central distribution. Actual costs, so this needs to include cleaning jobs performed (or not performed) by spouses. Marwan Koukash got hit with fines for buying cars for his best players.

43. The sport should consider re-introducing a live Salary Cap system once all commercial and investment matters are known. This should link to a strategic plan for player costs. I thought that a live Salary Cap system was already in place.

44. Clubs should be able to sign a maximum of two marquee players as per the current regulations, but such players must be made available to work with RL Commercial on commercial, media and other engagements. A maximum of two marquee players as per the current regulations - pretty sure the system was modified to allow a 3rd marquee as long as he was club-developed talent. French and Field are going to be very busy doing turns for the RFL. As a matter of transparency, every club should announce their Marquee signings.

Women's Rugby League

59. There is a need to improve the standard of player and athlete welfare offered in the Women’s Super League. There is a need to pay them properly, but that is not going to happen because the sport is not financially viable.

Challenge Cup

64. Men’s Super League clubs should enter at the round of 32. They should be seeded and drawn away from home. This has already been in operation for the last two seasons.

66. Across the centre and at clubs, more thought, budget and resource is needed to promote the Challenge Cup. Yes it should. The Challenge Cup has been neglected for years. For some clubs, the Challenge Cup is still very important. The Leigh Leopards spent a year taking it out into the community at every possibility.

67. Consideration should be given to the creation of a ‘Magic Weekend-style’ round of the Challenge Cup to truly put the magic back into the competition. This would ideally be the Round of 16, creating a new event and broadcast product. This is one of the better solutions to the Magic Weekend conundrum. Moving to 14 teams to eliminate a loop fixture and then putting one back in for Magic Weekend. The current Magic Weekend to be held at Hill-Dickinson stadium is selling very well, due to the venue and the rivals round format. 

69. There should be a fixed date in the calendar for the final. Nice idea in principle, but if they decide to move it away from Wembley, that would cause issues finding a permanent home at an alternative Football Stadium.

70. The sport should consider a new venue for the final. (see 69)

Player production

91 Consideration should be given to reducing the number of elite Academies playing in the professional structure. These clubs should have to meet strict standards of player development and output, and be properly staffed and funded. Reducing the number of elite Academies - this has created more inequalities in the game than anything else. Leigh Leopards have often been criticised for not producing any future stars of the game. At various times, the club has not been able to afford to run an academy and also the RFL have denied the club a license due to all the licenses being assigned. Why should there be a set number of Academies? Is it due to the proximity to the Piedome? It would be interesting if Brad O'Neill and Jack Farrimond had been through an Academy at Leigh. Let's reduce the Academies to Wigan, St Helens, Warrington and Leeds and then wonder why the Super League Grand final was only won by 4 teams until last year. No thanks. The sensible solution would be to take the Academies out of the club hands, into regional centres of excellence. This creates another problem when it comes to signing for professional clubs. If the current system is kept in place, there needs to be protection for the clubs that nurtured the young players. At the end of last season, Wigan and St Helens went to war over the next crop of youngsters, trading players in a tit for tat exchange. Under 21's should stay contractually under the wings of the parent club, as long as the big clubs do not abuse the system and treat the players like chattel.

92 Encouragement should be given to regional Academies being set up between consenting clubs to improve the offer to young players and to widen player pools. Yes, but who funds the regional academies?

95 In the short term, there should be increased access to overseas talent pools. Expansion in Super League and NRL has resulted in a land grab. Super League grab the Under 25 talent from the State Cup sides, and the new NRL teams raid Leigh and Leeds. The search will branch out to other clubs, but for now it was totally necessary to increase the overseas quota to 10.

97. There should be a review of the current welfare and support functions for players. A strategy to better fund welfare and provide a Player Association function paid for by those that use it should be developed and operationalised. This should be primarily funded by the players themselves or through commercial fundraising activity. A plan should include medical provision, welfare and wellbeing, and could act for players on contractual matters. An absolute no-brainer. Mandatory contributions from all players, Clubs and the RFL. If you are opposed to the term Union, then call it a Players Association. 

The contest, broadcast, product and season schedule

98 There should be new events and broadcast packages created to improve broadcast revenues. As a Rugby League fan, I pay for Skysports, but in reality I am subsidising Football fans. The large bulk of the TV revenue goes straight to the EFL Premier League. My household watches Rugby League, Darts and Cricket (no football). Put the sports on a dedicated channel and reduce my bill by removing the Football channels. The cost might not be so high if the Firestick users were caught and had to pay fines.

99 Consideration should be given to events that showcase different attributes of players including Rugby League 9s and other linked sports provided such events are strategically delivered and financially sustainable in the medium term. Not enough room in the season. No Club would want to risk their players in an exhibition-style tournament. Make it an Olympic sport, and then people might be interested. 

100 The sport should consider starting the season with a match between the Challenge Cup winners and the Grand Final winners to raise money for the sport’s charity, Rugby League Cares. Nice idea, but played in January (no thanks).

102 The sport must ensure there is a balance between free to air, subscription TV and streaming broadcast rights. Market Segmentation, this used to be about competition, but in reality, it is about the fan forking out multiple subscriptions for a product they used to get in one place.

105 There should be a new strategy for Super League Plus to make the sport a 24/7 accessible product and showcase additional matches from other Rugby League competitions, podcasts and other shoulder content, including press conferences, disciplinary hearings and other behind-the-scenes material. This should include using the platform to showcase players as fully-rounded people, celebrate history and traditions of the sport and create new programmes for younger audiences. More content, yes please.

106 The calendar should be redrafted to create peaks for the sport and ensure that data is used to place important matches at times of peak viewership. The calendar should also avoid clashes with other significant sporting or public events. Nice idea in principle, but good luck scheduling that. They have enough problems with resurfacing Football pitches and playing away for weeks on end. Starting the season at the same time as the 6 Nations is also not good planning, but it can't be avoided.

107 Tier 2 should consider amending its season so that it has a period in the calendar where that competition has all Rugby League eyes focused on it. Televised Championship Rugby in the winter months. Not sure there is a demand for snowy and muddy pitches.

109 Laws and Policy should aim to speed up the contest both in actual time and the speed at which it is played, and should attempt to make the collision as physical as possible whilst maintaining player safety. Faster ruck speeds - implemented.

112 Work should be done with broadcast and commercial partners to use technology and data during and after the contest to bring the sport closer to the fans, tell more insightful stories and drive new and better revenue streams. Yes

113 Changes to disciplinary regulations should be implemented with the aim to keep more players on the field whilst punishing repeat infringers and protecting players from serious foul play. The purpose of the disciplinary panels and processes should not be to re-referee each incident. Neither should it be beneficial to the bigger clubs.

Bring Yer Boots (You Might Get a Game)

 

Lammy this week will be trying to knock some square pegs into round holes. This weekend will witness the Challenge Cup 3rd Round, with Leigh Leopards visiting the North Wales Crusaders at Colwyn Bay. One would usually assume that this is a straight forward win for the Super League, but Lammy has hinted that he only has 19 available players, but he named a 20 man squad for the trip to Wales.

Leigh Leopards squad: Keanan Brand, Tesi Niu, Josh Charnley, Adam Cook, Lachlan Lam, Edwin Ipape, Robbie Mulhern, Frankie Halton, Owen Trout, Jacob Alick-Wiencke, Bailey Hodgson, Innes Senior, AJ Towse, Gareth O’Brien, Jack Hughes, Andrew Badrock, Ben McNamara, Nathan Wilde, Ryan Brown, Will Brough

How will Leigh actually line-up on Saturday:

1. Bailey Hodgson
2. Innes Senior 
3. Tesi Niu 
4. Keanan Brand
5. Josh Charnley
6. Adam Cook 
7. Lachlan Lam
8. Robbie Mulhern
9. Edwin Ipape
10. Owen Trout
11. Frankie Halton
12. Jacob Alick-Wiencke
13. Jack Hughes
14. Andrew Badrock
15. Ben McNamara 
16. Nathan Wilde
17. Gareth O’Brien
18. Will Brough

Robbie Mulhern is considered to be a doubt, so Ryan Brown may be brought onto the bench. The backs are looking fairly Leopard-like but the forwards will be without Joe Offahengaue, Issac Liu, Liam Horne and Matt Davis.

This is not looking good with the start of the Super League only 8 days away. Anyway bring yer boots, you never know.

Is This the End of the Big Bopper?

 

Will faster ruck speeds be the death of the Big Bopper? Several pundits have discussed the 2026 Man of Steel, and the choices normally centre around the key spine positions of Hooker, Half-back and Fullback. This year is slightly different in the expectation that the speedsters in the game are going to get more ball time in broken play. The top ten appear to be:

1. Bevan French
2. Mikey Lewis
3. Jai Field
4. Lockie Lam
5. Lockie Miller
6. Jake Connor
7. Jez Litten
8. Jack Welsby
9. Will Pryce
10. David Armstrong

Hull KR, Wigan, Leigh and Leeds have 2 representatives each, with St Helens and Hull FC having just one. This tallies nicely with the table positions from 2025. Field, Miller, Pryce and Armstrong are all full-backs with pace to burn. Jack Welsby appears to be the outlier and is a clever player rather than an all-out speedster. There are four half-backs in Lewis, French, Lam and Connor, three of these have previously won it in the last 3 years, with only Lam missing out. Only one hooker is in the top 10 - Jeremy Litten. I had originally assumed that those acting at dummy-half would attract a lot more attention, especially those with a tendency to dart from the play-the-balls. The sensible money is on those players who will benefit from broken play.

I was watching this week The Rugby League Coach - The White Wall Brisbane Have to Break to be World Champions! Hull KR Defence Analysis. I was struck by how Hull KR adapted the old interpretation of the rules to their benefit. Four men in the tackle, fast advancing defence, and the slowest play-the-balls against them, due to the time to untangle 4 players from the ball-carrier. Four-man tackles will regularly get pinged with the new interpretation, and with faster play-the-balls, the Hull KR defence will get beaten out of shape. On the flip-side Litten and Lewis will love the chaos created by defences that have not had time to get set.

This got me thinking about how the Big Boppers will fare when they cannot manage for more than 15 minutes with a slowed-down game. Hull FC, whom I tipped to finish in the Play-off positions, have compiled a large pack, the diamond being the steal from Leeds of Sam Lisone. Many have suggested he had a good season in 2025 because his contract was up. Lisone was used by Leeds as a wrecking ball in short spells to change the momentum of the game. Will this tactic still work in 2026? The trend in the NRL has been for uniformity in shape and size across most positions, with athleticism being the more valued trait over bulk and strength. 

Last season Tevita Pangai jnr, the Catalans' very own wrecking ball, never managed to get to the required level of fitness to be fully effective last season. Steve McNamara signed him Catalans, but many believe that he was responsible for Warrington terminating his contract. Speaking of Warrington, their very own battering ram, Joe Philbin, appears to have lost a considerable amount of weight in an attempt to play more minutes.

Of the other clubs Wigan still have the 31 year old Patrick Magoo, Saints have 35 year old Alex Walmsley and the 32 year old David Klemmer. My biggest concern is for Castleford's very own Bradley Singleton. Now at the age of 33, Brad has been slowing down for a number of years. To make up for the lack of speed and stamina, he has delved into the dark arts of slowing down the play-the-ball. Many people might suggest he is going to be a penalty machine going into the new season. Holding down, hands on the ball, slow to distangle from the tackle and the push or knee when the attacker is playing the ball. Expect a flurry of 6 agains, penalties and yellow cards for repeat offences.

Adrian Lam, has never utilised a Big Bopper, preferring the forwards to be imbued with leg speed and high levels of stamina for big minutes. This may prove to be the way forward in this new era of the game. Leigh Leopards are still not without their own penalty machines. In particular, I would single out the chaos twins (Jack Hughes and Matt Davis) and top tackler Frankie Halton. All three need to learn quickly how to keep the rucks clean; old habits die hard.

Warrington Wolves v Leigh Leopards (Friendly) 29th January 2026

 

A wet, windy and cold evening in Warrington for a local friendly. I have no desire to discuss the game due to the chaotic nature of interchanges, but I will identify a few performances and the refereeing of the game. 

With the law changes, both sides failed to adapt to the new interpretation of the rules in the first half. This was costly to Leigh, with Sneyd able to hammer the penalties 50 metres downfield with the wind at his back. The best player on show was definitely Danny Walker, who used the quicker rucks to steal metres at every play-the-ball, in a way that his opposite number never managed. Sneyd and Williams were largely anonymous except for the forward pass from Williams for the second try. Not sure how the officials miss these things when a player before the white line passes and the receiving player is on the other side of the markings. At least 2 points were not at stake. Not sure how video refs can make calls on knock-ons but not forward passes.

There were no exceptional performances from the Leopards, but there are encouraging signs from Adam Cook, who possesses a booming left peg. This is an area in which Leigh has always struggled. Lam worked on kicking longer distances last season, but Gaz O'Brien always struggled to get big metres from the boot. Cook also converted two tries from the left edge, which should, in theory, be the most difficult kick for left footer.

Not related to the game itself, but the Leigh pack looked very light without Mulhern and Liu, both of whom did not take part in the game. Added to these absences, Joe Offahengaue and Liam Horne have potential HIA protocols to fulfil for next week's 3rd round Challenge Cup fixture. 

The new recruits, Liam Horne looked lively until he got his tackle technique all wrong and was removed for an HIA. Innes Senior looks ungainly with his 6ft 4in matchstick frame. Considering his height, he looks decidedly iffy under the high ball. Jacob Alick-Wienke does worry me. He was totally anonymous playing for PNG in the recent Pacific Bowl tournament, and only marginally better in this friendly match. Lammy talks about his X-factor, but unless things change, I predict a swap in positions with Owen Trout.

Leigh are currently miles away from being ready to face Leeds in Round 1. Can't blame the weather, it can be just as bad in February as it was in January. Leigh also need to learn how to defend short kick-offs and drop outs. If not they are going to coughing up possession about 75% of the time.

Tom Grant was the official for this game, and after one penalty for interference at the play-the-ball, it became very obvious when the whistle would blow. Without video referees, it is quite easy to see how much they depend on the technology to get them out of a hole.

Looking forward to a faster game throughout the season. The players are still probing how far they can go before they test the referees patience.