Leigh ratings as Leopards forward shines in history-making St Helens win

Ben Olawumi 17 Jul 2025 9:53 PM

St Helens v Leigh - 2025 — An action shot from a Super League clash between St Helens and Leigh Leopards in July 2025

Leigh picked up a third victory in a row as they won away at St Helens for the first time since 1982 on Thursday night, ending up with a 16-4 success.

Here are our Leopards ratings from the press box at the Totally Wicked Stadium…

Bailey Hodgson – 8

Another really strong showing from Hodgson. David Armstrong who? (we jest!)

Keanan Brand – N/A

Brand enjoyed a bright start but was forced off after circa 20 minutes for a HIA which he eventually failed after being caught by a flailing arm in a tackle. It wouldn’t be fair to dish him a rating out.

Tesi Niu – 9

Niu is one of the few players in Super League that warrants the entry fee to a game alone. He was immense again for the Leopards tonight on both sides of the ball. What a dream it must be to have him in your team if you’re Adrian Lam. A close second for man-of-the-match, for us.

Umyla Hanley – 8

Really good from Hanley, who moved onto the wing after Keanan Brand was forced off. A couple of lively runs with the ball in hand and solid defensively when called upon.

Josh Charnley – 8

No try for Charnley here, but he’s doing himself no harm in his quest to earn a contract for 2026. Was perhaps fortunate not to be punished for a knock on metres out from his own line late on.

Gareth O’Brien – 9

He kicked out on the full early on, but O’Brien was influential in everything Leigh did well on the night. He earned eight of their points with his boot having missed just one attempt, and put it on a plate for Joe Ofahengaue’s opening try. A very good evening.

Lachlan Lam – 8

Lam and O’Brien’s partnership is quietly among the best in Super League. The Papua New Guinea international never fails to deliver.

Owen Trout – 8

Trout is among the ‘most improved’ across the entire competition when you compare last year to this. Defensively, he was an absolute rock again here across his two stints.

Edwin Ipape – 8

Just as it was against Hull KR, Ipape’s defensive efforts here caught the eye more than what he contributed in attack. Adrian Lam certainly won’t mind that though, and neither do we. Huge.

Joe Ofahengaue – 9

Ofahengaue was Chris Chester’s leaving gift to Leigh, and what a gift he has proven to be. The mid-season NRL recruit has been ridiculously good at times, and was again here. We’d love to know his tackle count, and that’s before you consider he grabbed both tries. Man-of-the-match.

Frankie Halton – 7

Halton will want to forget his two knock-ons, but he delivered a trademark solid all-round performance bar those blips.

Jack Hughes – 8

It’s been a while since we’ve seen an 80-minute stint from Hughes, but having slotted into the back-row here, he gave Leigh just that and didn’t let anyone down.

Isaac Liu – 8

What a player. Liu looked absolutely done for when he came off ten minutes into the second half, and we’re not surprised with the amount of work he got through. It was no surprise to see him return to the action for the final ten either. 34 years old, by the way!

Alec Tuitavake (Interchange) – 8

Among Tuitavake’s best performances in a Leopards shirt to date. He made a big impact with a great stint as he came on just before half-time and remained on until just before the hour mark. Some huge shots in there.

Matt Davis (Interchange) – 8

Davis has been at Leigh far longer than Tuitavake, but this was one of his best performances in a Leopards shirt, too. We thought he was absolutely immense in the 40 minutes he spent out there.

Andy Badrock (Interchange) – 8

Badrock was thrust into the action for longer than expected after Brand’s HIA, but he showed again that he’s already Super League quality. He looks a great pickup from the Leopards.