Josh Charnley makes confident Leigh claim as Super League title ambitions aired

Josh Charnley insists Leigh Leopards have what it takes to ‘go all the way’ and be crowned Super League champions in 2026.

Veteran winger Charnley arrived at Leigh midway through the 2022 Championship campaign and helped Adrian Lam’s side to promotion at the first time of asking.

Since their return to Super League, he has formed a key part of the Leopards’ continuous progression: with last year’s third-place finish the club’s highest-ever in the top-flight in the summer era.

2023 Challenge Cup winners Leigh have not shied away from sharing their title ambitions over the last few years, and having seen Hull KR put their name on the Super League trophy for the first time last year, the Leopards are hungry for a slice of the pie.

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Josh Charnley makes confident Leigh claim as Super League title ambitions aired

Crowned a Super League champion three times as a Wigan Warriors player, Charnley knows exactly what it takes to earn a Grand Final winners’ ring.

Speaking to LoveRugbyLeague during the Leopards’ media day earlier this week, he said: “We could go all the way. We’ve added a lot of good players to the team, with some players that are rangy and athletic.

“That’s something we needed, and we’ll have to see, but hopefully we can keep everyone fit.

“You want to keep your full squad fit all the way through the year, and if we do that, then I reckon we’ll be right up there.

“We’ll be there or thereabouts.”

Now 34, Chorley-born Charnley is already Leigh’s top Super League try-scorer of all-time, and he’s still hunting down Leeds Rhinos ace Ryan Hall for the competition’s top spot.

Set to hit the landmark of 400 senior career appearances this term, he hopes to make 2026 a season to remember with Leigh having been beaten two years on the spin in the play-off semi-finals by rivals Wigan.

Charnley continued: “We’ve just got the same mindset and each year. We’re adding new faces to the team who we think can help us along the way.

“There’s not been much change this year, but there has still been some key personnel who have come in and added to the team with some real quality there.

“We’re building in the right direction, we’ve had a good pre-season this year and hopefully we can go one step better than last year.”