Leigh Leopards coach addresses Jake Clifford links as recruitment admission made

Leigh boss Adrian Lam says the Leopards are ‘looking at three or four different halves’, and hasn’t ruled out Jake Clifford being one of those following reports of interest.

Former Hull FC playmaker Clifford, who turned 27 at the beginning of January, has been back Down Under with the North Queensland Cowboys since the start of 2024.

Since his return to Australia though, he has featured in just ten NRL games, spending the majority of his time donning a shirt in the Queensland Cup.

A half-back is on the ‘to buy’ list where Leigh are concerned, and it would appear that Clifford could be the chosen target.

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Leigh Leopards coach addresses Jake Clifford links as recruitment admission made

Clifford will become a free agent come the end of the year, but a report from All Out Rugby League published on Thursday morning, suggests that the Leopards may even bring him back to Super League before the end of 2025.

Head coach Lam addressed Leigh’s ongoing recruitment drive during Thursday afternoon’s pre-match press conference ahead of Leigh’s clash with Wakefield Trinity.

The Papua New Guinean said: “There’s always names that are going to come up in the media in this area, and I’m okay with that because we are looking and we are in a position to buy and recruit.

“We’re pretty excited about that, but we don’t want to be in a rush with it.

“Jake Clifford is a quality player, but we are looking at three or four different halves.

“We’re looking at probably a total of ten different players to get the best two or three out of that, and we’ll make those decisions as we progress through the season.

“Right now, I’m really happy with the squad. I’m obviously disappointed with last weekend’s game (against Hull KR) and our standards there, but those players have got an opportunity to respond (against Wakefield).

“We’re trying to make sure we keep pressure on the players here while also looking to strengthen the squad as we go along.

“Nothing will change on that, and we’re just excited to be in a position where we’re able to do that.”

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