The three-word phrase fuelling Leigh Leopards’ play-off hopes ahead of Salford Red Devils clash

Leigh head to Salford Red Devils on Friday night hoping to make it further than they’ve ever managed before in the Super League play-offs, and the Leopards are being inspired by a neat three-word phrase: ‘The last dance’.

After a pretty miserable start to the 2024 campaign, plagued by injuries to key players, Adrian Lam’s side had to win 10 of their last 12 games of the ‘regular’ season to make the top six.

They sealed their play-off spot with a hard-fought 18-12 win on home soil against St Helens in Round 27, achieving a 5th-place finish for the second season running as a result.

Last season, after finishing 5th, the Leopards bowed out of the play-offs at the ‘eliminator’ stage as they were beaten 20-6 away at Hull KR.

Win at Salford, and they’ll progress into the play-off semi-finals, just 80 minutes from an Old Trafford appearance – a position they’ve never been in before.

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The three-word phrase fuelling Leigh Leopards’ play-off hopes ahead of Salford Red Devils clash

Whenever Leigh’s season does come to an end, 11 players will officially depart the club, including captain John Asiata who has agreed a three-year deal with Hull FC from 2025.

And Asiata has detailed how his and his team-mates’ departures have been providing the inspiration behind Leigh’s remarkable rise in the second half of the campaign.

The loose forward told LoveRugbyLeague: “We’ve had a saying, ‘the last dance’, because we’ve known that any loss could knock us out of the finals.

“Every game has been very emotional, but the belief in our group has been tremendous.

“The platform that we’ve laid and the foundations that we’ve built over the last 11 weeks, that’s not going to change for as long as we’re in the finals.

“There’s not much you can do now up until Friday night, it’s more about what you’ve done in previous weeks and the boys leaving provides an emotional factor.

“The other (factor) is the preparation that we’re all putting in not wanting to let each other down.

“Last week (against St Helens) was very emotional for myself with it being my last home game, but I wanted to make sure that when I had the chance to do something, I did it to the best of my abilities.

“That was probably one of my best performances this year since being back (from injury), and a great performance from all of the boys. I’d like to think we’re done not yet.”

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