Rumour Mill: Leigh Leopards target linked with new NRL club

Leigh Leopards face competition from Sydney Roosters for the signing of Newcastle Knights full-back David Armstrong, according to reports.

The Daily Telegraph have reported that Armstrong, who Leigh have been in pursuit of for some time, has attracted suitors Down Under in recent weeks having impressed while deputising for the injured Kalyn Ponga.

Armstrong, who joined the Knights back in 2022, has had to bide his time for this opportunity at first-grade level but has taken it with both hands – scoring five tries in his first four NRL appearances including a hat-trick against the Gold Coast Titans.

The 23-year-old was only handed a one-year deal by Newcastle ahead of this season on a ‘top 30’ contract, essentially promoting him up into the reckoning for senior squads.

But given his performances since coming in for Ponga, The Daily Telegraph also report that the Knights have themselves tabled an offer to the 23-year-old, and say they ‘remain confident that he wants to remain in Newcastle’.

Rumour Mill: Leigh Leopards target linked with new NRL club

Should Armstrong opt to remain in the NRL with either the Knights or the Roosters, he faces the same situation as at the start of this year – not being the number one contender for the full-back spot.

Ponga is Newcastle’s first-choice #1, while at the Roosters, captain James Tedesco – the man of the match for the Kangaroos in the 2021 Rugby League World Cup final – occupies that spot.

If he made the jump over to Super League with Leigh however, the full-back spot would almost certainly be his, with Leopards head coach Adrian Lam not hiding his desire to bring the New South Wales native into their squad from 2025.

Last month, Lam said: “Full-back is a position that we’ve been looking at for a little while, and Davey Armstrong has been of interest to me, Chezzy (Chris Chester, head of rugby) and the group, without a doubt.

|He’s someone that we would see fitting in this environment really, really well, and the style of play that we play here would suit him.

“He is a player that we are interested in.”

The Daily Telegraph say we can expect a decision from Armstrong on his future soon.

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