Hopkins pens new Leigh deal

Sam Hopkins has extended his contract with Leigh until the end of November 2020.

The 27-year-old made his senior debut in 2011 and has gone on to make over 150 appearances for the club, scoring 54 tries.

Leigh boss: Neil Jukes said: “I’ve known Sam since the first day he walked through the door at Leigh Centurions and since that time I’ve seen him grow as a player and as a person.

“By Sam’s own admission he is not at the point where he is at his best, but this contract gives him the ability to reap the benefits when he does that.

“Sam has the unequivocal support from myself and the staff to ensure he achieves his goals but like everything in life the outcome is down to the player.

“Given that, we are confident he can reach his potential as his form of late has shown what an outstanding player he can be for our club in Super League.

“150 appearances have soon come about for Sam and you don’t get them by fluke – you get them by hard work. Sam has only missed out on selection a couple of times this year and has been one of our most consistent middles.

“I’m looking forward to carrying on working with Sam over the next few years and sharing in a successful period for our club.”

Hopkins added: “The last few days have been a bit of a whirlwind, but I’m really happy to have agreed the contract.

“I feel as though I am approaching my peak years as a player and I now want to crack on with realising my potential and not giving myself any excuses for not succeeding at being at the top of my game.

“Since first signing for Leigh under Ian Millward I’ve seen the club grow and grow and though I spent two years at Wigan I was never really away from the place.

“I look at what we went through in my early career at the club when we had very slender resources and the players were on bare minimum money and see where we are now as a club since Derek (Beaumont) got back involved.

“It’s been great to be a part of it and what could be better than to sign a long contract with my hometown club and help them go from strength to strength.

“I’ve always had a good relationship with Derek and Jukesy and I’d like to thank them both for their advice and help over my career and particularly over the last few weeks.

“They have given me a clear understanding as to where they want me to be at in realising my potential as a player over the terms of the contract.”