Leigh duo including Keanan Brand suffer fresh injury blows as race on to make play-offs

Keanan Brand re-injured his ankle during his long-awaited Leigh comeback on Friday night, with recent Leopards recruit Jack Ashworth also sidelined.

Outside-back Brand had not featured for Leigh since suffering an ankle injury back in March which eventually required complex rehabilitation.

Having played two games on loan in Super League at Castleford Tigers, the Ireland international was recalled by the Leopards ahead of their Round 26 clash at home against St Helens – and was named in the centres.

But Brand’s comeback lasted just 40 minutes, being forced off at half-time, and now looks like he may have played his last game of the year.

Leigh duo including Keanan Brand suffer fresh injury blows as race on to make play-offs

Friday night’s 48-10 win over Saints saw the Leopards cement their spot in the Super League play-offs for the fourth season on the spin, with Brand having replaced Andy Badrock in the starting 13.

Post-match, head coach Adrian Lam explained: “Keanan coming in was a forced change that I made that I thought was going to help us as a team.

“He has ended up hurting the same ankle he’s been out with a long time, which saw Andy Badrock come back in (at half-time) and he’s been pretty good.

“He probably didn’t deserve not to be playing, but with the experience Keanan has and having been around for a long time, I thought that was the edge this week. It’ll probably go back the other way next week.”

Elsewhere, experienced pair Jack Hughes and Ashworth – who only joined from Castleford last month ahead of the transfer deadline – both dropped out of the matchday squad.

Asked whether their omissions were performance-related following last weekend’s defeat at Huddersfield Giants, boss Lam clarified: “Jack Hughes was ill all week and didn’t train all week.

‘He could have played tonight, but I made a call not to play him because I knew he’d have been down on energy.

“Jack Ashworth has a stomach strain, so he had to pull out and couldn’t be considered.

“That could be two-three weeks, although he’s in with a small chance of (playing) next week.”

Currently sat fifth on the Super League ladder, Leigh’s final game of the regular season comes next weekend at home against Wakefield.

If they are to leapfrog Trinity and claim a home tie in the first week of the play-offs, the Leopards will have to win: and depending on how Wakefield fare this weekend against Warrington Wolves, that win may have to be a big one depending on points difference.