Leigh Leopards coach confirms 2026 captaincy plans as decision explained

Leigh will continue to operate with Lachlan Lam and Isaac Liu as unofficial co-captains in 2026 as part of a wider leadership group, Leopards head coach Adrian Lam has confirmed.

Ahead of the 2025 campaign, Leigh saw Challenge Cup-winning captain John Asiata depart for Hull FC.

Having joined before their promotion-winning Championship season back in 2022, one-time NRL champion Asiata had been with the Leopards as long as boss Lam had.

Lam opted not to replace him in that role with a single player, but put together a four-man leadership group consisting of son Lachlan, Liu, Robbie Mulhern and Jack Hughes.

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Leigh Leopards coach confirms 2026 captaincy plans as decision explained

Within that four-man leadership group, Papua New Guinea international Lam junior and ex-New Zealand and Samoa international Liu headed things up as unofficial co-captains.

12 months ago, Liu – who is now eyeing up the landmark of 350 first-grade career appearances – had just arrived at the club from NRL outfit Gold Coast Titans.

It was playmaker Lam who dealt with the referee on the field more often than not, but the four-strong leadership group helped to fire the Leopards to a third-place finish in Super League, with that their highest-ever placing in the summer era.

They went on to bow out of the play-offs at the semi-final stage, being beaten narrowly away from home by rivals Wigan Warriors.

But having enjoyed plenty of success in 2025, Leigh will stick as opposed to twist where their captaincy structure is concerned.

Speaking to the media – including LoveRugbyLeague – during the Leopards’ pre-season media day earlier this week, head coach Lam confirmed: ” The two captains will be Lam and Isaac Liu again.

“They did a great job (in 2025) and the players love them.

“They led us well last year, so there’s no difference and there’s no reason to change going into this year.”