Leigh Leopards star played with horrific injury as emotional update shared
David Armstrong warms up ahead of a Leigh Leopards game in 2025
Leigh’s David Armstrong has revealed that he played three-and-a-half games with a ruptured Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL): with the Leopards star now having undergone surgery.
Armstrong was the Leopards’ marquee signing in the off-season having penned a three-year deal to make the move over from NRL outfit Newcastle Knights.
His first campaign in Super League had been pretty stop-start through numerous minor injuries and illness, but he had managed to score eight tries in his first 14 appearances across all competitions for Leigh.
That tally includes four in the three games which preceded a 48-30 defeat at Leeds Rhinos on June 27 which saw him forced off at half-time due to what we now know is a ruptured ACL.
But remarkably, the full-back has revealed that in those three games which preceded the trip to Headingley – against Huddersfield Giants, Wakefield Trinity and Catalans Dragons – he had played through the pain barrier with the ACL already ruptured.
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Leigh Leopards star played with horrific injury as emotional update shared
Soon after the news of Armstrong’s injury was made public, Leigh‘s head coach Adrian Lam shared the extend of the damage as he said: “There’s damage to the Posterior Cruciate, the Anterior Cruciate and the Medial (Cruciate) and cartilage have all been damaged in some way.”
And a few weeks on, the 24-year-old himself has taken to social media to share the news that he had successfully undergone surgery on his injury.
Sharing a picture of him in a hospital bed on his Instagram account (@davidarmstrong1), the Australian wrote: “Pretty shattered to have my year end like this and have my favourite thing I look forward to every week taken away from me just like that.
“Three-and-a-half games on a ruptured ACL – do not recommend 🥲
“Although I’d love to be out there, I can’t wait to watch this group do something special this year.
“Thank you to everyone who reached out with their kind messages and support, I appreciate y’all.
“See y’all in 26′ – DA ❤️”
Armstrong is expected to be out of action for around nine months, so if all goes to plan, he should return towards the end of March next year.
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