Leigh Leopards coach waxes lyrical over Papua New Guinean recruits as huge comparison drawn

Leigh Leopards boss Adrian Lam has sung the praises of newly-recruited Papua New Guinea duo Liam Horne and Jacob Alick-Wiencke, comparing the latter to NRL and England star Kai Pearce-Paul.

The Leopards already had half-back Lachlan Lam and Edwin Ipape in their squad, along with head coach Lam, who hails from Rabaul.

But ahead of the 2026 campaign, they have doubled the Kumuls contingent within their squad – adding Horne from fellow Super League side Castleford Tigers and Alick-Wiencke from NRL club Gold Coast Titans.

Both new recruits offer versatility, with Horne able to slot in at loose as well as nine, and Alick-Wiencke comfortable in both the front and back rows.

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Leigh Leopards coach waxes lyrical over Papua New Guinean recruits as huge comparison drawn

It remains to be seen where Horne fits into the Leigh jigsaw, but Alick-Wiencke will slot into their back-row: with Ethan O’Neill having departed for the Leopards’ Round 1 opponents Leeds Rhinos.

Speaking to a selection of the media – including LoveRugbyLeague – at Leigh’s 2026 home kit launch, boss Lam had plenty of praise for both of his new Kumuls, who boast 18 international Test caps between them.

Lam said: “(We’ve signed) the two PNG boys.

“Liam Horne was at Castleford last year, I think he’ll be a great addition to us. I like his toughness, and the way he goes about it.

“He is a little bit ill-disciplined, but we’ll sort that out! I think I’d rather it that way than the other way with him.

“Jacob Alick-Wiencke is a 6’5″ forward, whether he’s a middle or back-rower. I brought him here to play back-row, so I’m pretty excited.”

Leigh’s international representatives have been given some extra time off before their pre-season schedule begins, but NRL recruit Alick-Wiencke has chosen to make the move to the UK early and linked up with the squad earlier this month.

He’s a player Lam knows very well, and the Leopards boss has high expectations for the versatile forward as he shared: “He only played a short amount of time in the first Test (for Papua New Guinea) at the end of the year.

“He wanted to come in and get to know the players, it’s a positive sign.

“I’ve been tracking him for about five years, and I think he’s got that X-factor about him.

“(He’s) a bit similar to Kai Pearce-Paul, with that sort of feel about him, but (he’s) more explosive and more powerful.”