Leigh coach pleased to fend off Super League interest to tie down Edwin Ipape
Leigh coach Adrian Lam says he is delighted to see Edwin Ipape commit his long-term future to the Centurions despite heavy interest from elsewhere.
The 25-year-old this week penned a new three-year contract with the Championship promotion chasers. He will remain a Leyther until at least the end of 2025.
Papua New Guinea international Ipape only joined Leigh in February but is already a fan’s favourite. He was man of the match in the club’s recent over 1895 Cup final victory over Featherstone.
Lam says he is over the moon to see his fellow his fellow countryman sign a long-term deal, revealing that he attracted interest from Super eague and abroad.
Lam said: “There has been quite a bit to be honest with you, not only in the Championship but in Super League and abroad.
“We’ve been in close conversations with Edwin over the last six weeks. It has just built up to a point where as soon as he played in the final at Tottenham and a lot of the other clubs got to see what he was capable of doing, then the interest went through the roof.
“As a club we are very pleased to get his signature locked in here for three years.
“My thanks goes to the support and financial backing of Derek Beaumont (owner) through all of this process. It has been amazing.
“Chris Chester (head of rugby) and myself have been working hard on locking him in first and foremost. It is just an indication of the club heading in the direction we want to go in, making sure we lock in our best players long-term.”
More good news to come, says Adrian Lam
Lam says the club have been working hard on their recruitment and retention in recent weeks. He has hinted that there will be positive news for Leigh fans in the coming weeks in regards to announcements.
When asked if we can expect announcements in the not too distant future, Lam replied: “Yeah absolutely. We are working really hard on the timing of all of that.
“I think you’ll get to see a lot more on that over the next two or three weeks. We’re really happy with where we are as a club at the moment.
“We’re top of the table and that has taken a lot of hard work to get here but we’ve still got to keep our feet grounded. There is still a long way to go in the competition.
“There are still some twists and turns that we all know about but in regards to retention and recruitment I think we’re on the front foot with that. I’m really happy with it.”
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