Leigh talking points: Recruitment questions emerge as abysmal Leopards suffer fresh injury blow

Leigh Leopards are now bottom of Super League after suffering a fifth defeat in seven games on Saturday, this time at the hands of Warrington Wolves.

Adrian Lam’s side have been ravaged by injuries in the early weeks of 2026, but the manner of some of their performances have been incredibly concerning – with this latest one firmly in that bracket.

Here’s what we learned on Saturday – and the big themes surrounding a Leopards side who are now propping up the entire competition.

Recruitment questions

You could argue it’s still slightly too early to make sweeping judgements on recruitment: but we’re not far off a definitive point in time now we’ve had a quarter of the Super League season. And in truth, the business Leigh did in the off-season has left a little to be desired.

Yes, there are injuries – and we’ll touch on those soon – but the likes of Liam Horne, Adam Cook and Jacob Alick-Wiencke just haven’t settled into life in a Leopards shirt yet. There’s time for things to improve, but the jury has to be out at the very least on the transfer business of the Leopards.

Mitigation: but not enough

As we’ve touched on, the injuries Leigh are suffering from clearly have an impact. You can’t lose players the calibre of David Armstrong, Bailey Hodgson and Edwin Ipape and expect to be at your best.

But that doesn’t excuse some of what we saw on Saturday afternoon. Leigh’s attack was understandably limp but it was the manner of some of their defensive efforts and even desire that left a lot to be admired. That supersedes any injury discussion sadly, and is something the Leopards have to fix up quickly if they still want to be in the cup this time next week.

Senior players not stepping up

What will be worrying for Lam is some of the early-season displays from players that were pivotal and among the best in Super League for the club in 2025.

Owen Trout has really struggled in recent weeks, and the move into the back row hasn’t really suited him, in truth. Joe Ofahengaue hasn’t hit the heights of last year either, and while he’s playing behind a pretty tame pack, there’s not the same sparkle to Lachlan Lam’s game, either.

Fresh injury concerns

As if Leigh didn’t need any more worries, the sight of Frankie Halton going off in the closing stages following a heavy-looking collision will have been troubling for their supporters. Josh Charnley was visibly holding his hamstring in the closing stages too – though he made it through to the end of the game.

It’s a repeat clash with the Super League leaders next week. Repeat this level of display, and the Leopards’ season will be in real danger of fizzling out.