Leigh Leopards’ eye-catching line-up for 2025 if all rumoured targets sign and key men are retained

Transfer wise, there’s been a heavier focus on who’s heading through the exit door at Leigh Leopards ahead of 2025 rather than who’s heading through the arrivals one so far.

Six current Leopards stars have seen their departures confirmed, with a quartet which includes skipper John Asiata heading to Hull FC on lucrative deals.

Elsewhere, forwards Tom Amone (Canterbury Bulldogs) and Kai O’Donnell (North Queensland Cowboys) are heading back Down Under to the NRL.

Those exits seem to have pushed David Armstrong’s signature under the radar somewhat, with the only other ‘new’ face confirmed by the Leythers so far being Bailey Hodgson.

He will arrive back in the UK from Australia in time to feature for Adrian Lam’s side at the back end of the current campaign, but come ’25, he may well have quite a few new faces to get to know himself.

With few concrete rumours being thrown around where the Leopards’ incomings are concerned, we’ve thrown together this potential Leigh line-up for 2025 as things stand…

MORE POSSIBLE 2025 LINE-UPS:

St Helens, including NRL star Tristan Sailor

Wakefield Trinity, with Super League talent aplenty

Hull FC, including heavy Leigh Leopards presence

1. David Armstrong

Leigh’s only confirmed new addition come 2025 is Armstrong, who they had a tussle on their hands to get, but won the race for his signature. The 23-year-old has penned a three-year deal with the Leopards, and will undoubtedly be their first-choice full-back. He scored five tries in his first five NRL appearances this term, and has impressed in the New South Wales Cup, too.

2. Darnell McIntosh

There’s going to be a lot of change in the backline for Lam’s side next season, and through that, it’s possible we’ll see McIntosh take up a position out on the wing. He’s scored three tries in five appearances for Leigh since joining them from Hull FC in April, and is incredibly versatile. The Huddersfield-born utility will hit the milestone of  150 Super League appearances next year.

3. Umyla Hanley

Youngster Hanley has largely been in his more ‘natural’ position out on the wing so far in his Leigh career, but in recent weeks, he’s been deployed in the centres by boss Lam while McIntosh operates closer to the touchline. There’s no reason that can’t continue on into next season, and as things stand, it’s sort of a ‘needs must’ scenario there.

4. Bailey Hodgson

Leigh have signed Hodgson from NRL outfit Manly Sea Eagles with immediate effect until the end of the 2026 season. He’s had a bit of a torrid time Down Under through injury, spending the best part of four years in Australia without making a first-grade appearance, but has been going steadily at centre in the NSW Cup. There’s clearly a talent there that needs to be be rediscovered.

DONE DEAL: Bailey Hodgson – The lowdown on Leigh Leopards’ new recruit including possible position and squad role

5. Josh Charnley

Charnley turned 33 last month, but remains one of the best wingers in Super League. Leigh handed him a one-year extension to take him up until the end of next season, and you’d wager he could well go into 2025 already sat 2nd in the all-time Super League try-scorers list, currently seven behind Danny McGuire. He’s almost at the half-century mark for the Leopards.

6. Matt Moylan

Australian ace Moylan has another year left on his Leopards contract. It took him a few matches to get going having arrived from Cronulla Sharks in the off-season, but he’ll be a contender for Leigh’s Player of the Year award this term. Having slotted in at full-back at times, we think boss Lam will want him back in the halves on a permanent basis.

7. Lachlan Lam

There’s a huge question mark over Lam junior. He’s contracted at Leigh until the end of next season, but if reports are to believed, there’s a release clause in that paperwork and there are Super League clubs ready to trigger it. The Leopards will be desperate to keep the Papua New Guinea star, and given that this is sort of the ‘ideal’ line-up for 2025 as things stand, we’re including him.

TRANSFER LATEST: Leigh Leopards coach makes Lachlan Lam admission and addresses transfer speculation

8. Aaron Pene

Having signed midway through last month, prop Pene is still in the early days of his Leopards career, but has been impressive in the handful of appearances he’s made so far. Leigh are going to need someone to try and fill the shoes of Tom Amone next season, and though that’s a huge ask, it looks like powerhouse Pene is going to be the one to try and do that.

9. Brad Dwyer

Another man who wasn’t with Leigh at the start of the current season is Dwyer, who joined on loan from Warrington Wolves early on in the campaign before making his move a permanent one. Most of his appearances for the Leopards so far have come off the bench, but we can see that changing in 2024, and we’ll explain why shortly.

10. Robbie Mulhern

Mulhern was incredible in 2023, and earned himself an England cap at the end of the season having delivered big performances consistently. Having had a stop-start season so far with injury, it feels like we’ve not seen him get going yet in 2024. When he’s been absent though, he’s still been a huge miss for Lam’s side.

11. Frankie Halton

Representing his hometown club, we feel Halton is a really underrated member of the Leopards squad. He rarely misses a game, and very rarely delivers a sub-par performance. After an injury-hit 2023, he’s become one of the first names on their teamsheet each week, and that’s testament to being ‘Mr Consistent’.

12. Jack Hughes

Hughes is actually off-contract, but it’s hard to see Leigh not giving him a new deal. He’s yet to miss a game in any competition this season, and is another who’s hard to overlook when it comes to a position in the back-row. When you pump the cash that the Leopards do into overseas talent, consistent performers like Hughes that don’t cost as much on the salary cap are invaluable.

13. Edwin Ipape

We told you we’d explain why we think Dwyer will start at 9, and this is it. Fear not Leopards fans, we don’t think Ipape is going anywhere. The PNG star loves Leigh, and the town loves him. But come 2025, we can see him moving into the 13 role and becoming a ball-playing loose as things stand.

Asiata departing leaves a hole here, and rather than needing to find a replacement, there’s probably a ready-made replacement already in Lam’s ranks with the Kumuls ace. We believe he has all the qualities needed to succeeded at 13 – sure, he’s not as big as Asiata, but he’s got the quality with the ball in hand and he’ll never shy away from bringing someone down!

KUMULS PRIDE: Leigh Leopards stars ‘humbled’ by Papua New Guinea support as Edwin Ipape takes a trip down memory lane

Bench

Gareth O’Brien, Owen Trout, Brad Martin, Matt Davis