Off-contract Leigh star Josh Charnley opens up on Leigh future as major career admission made

Josh Charnley admits 2026 will probably be his last season in a Leigh Leopards shirt, and says it could even be the last of his playing career.

Chorley-born Charnley, who will turn 35 in June, has been with Leigh since midway through their 2022 Championship campaign when he joined from Warrington Wolves.

The veteran winger is the Leopards’ all-time top try-scorer in Super League, and is chasing down the competition’s all-time record, but finds himself as a free agent as things stand alongside a plethora of his team-mates.

That comes after penning a one-year extension at the Leopards’ Den for 2026, having been in the same situation as he is now just 12 months ago.

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‘I’d like to play again next year, but this will probably be my last year here’

11-time England international Charnley has scored 63 tries in 87 appearances across all competitions to date for Leigh.

Speaking to LoveRugbyLeague during the Leopards‘ pre-season media day, he detailed: “I’d like to play again next year, but this will probably be my last year here.

“I’ve not heard anything, but I’m staying positive and if this is to be my last season here, it’s been a good ride.

“I’ll just see how the body handles it, I’m at an age now where I don’t want to be waking up every day aching with my body in bits, I want to be able to play with my kids and be able to bend down (without pain).”

A three-time Super League champion during his time as a Wigan player, Charnley made his first-team debut for the Warriors against Hull KR back in August 2010.

By then, he had already represented Blackpool Panthers and KR themselves as a loanee. 16 years on, he’s now scored over 300 tries and is fast approaching the landmark of 400 senior career appearances.

Issuing an honest assessment of his current situation, the iconic winger hinted that he would be interested in an off-field role within the game, adding: “This year might be my last (playing), but you never know.

“There are always young kids coming through, it’s a conveyor belt, and last year was disappointing for me with the way it started, getting injured and not getting enough game time.

“Then, the way it finished, I was happy with it. I’ve come into this pre-season positive and I’ve not been injured, so the old body is hanging in there.

“You never know what’s around the corner, but if there’s an opportunity here or within the club doing something else, it might be (that I decide to take an offer up).”