IT’S fair to say that if one Super League continues to defy the odds then it is Leigh Leopards.
After reaching the top flight ahead of the 2023 season, the club was rebranded from Centurions to Leopards. And, since then, the club’s rise has been remarkable.
The Leopards won the Challenge Cup that year and made it all the way to the Super League play-off semi-finals last year, only to be downed by eventual champions Wigan Warriors.
In 2025, Adrian Lam’s side finished third in a record-breaking season, setting up a home eliminator fixture against Wakefield Trinity this weekend.
So how does Lam reflect on yet another magnificent year at the helm at the Leigh Sports Village?
“I’m really proud, it’s seemed like the season has gone on for so long but now that it’s here it has flown by,” Lam said.
“We have been there or thereabouts for most of the season in the top six. It’s a goal of ours to make the top four every year and give ourselves a home semi-final.
“I think every year we have taken a step up and we have done that this year too.”
Asked what this year’s excellence has been down to, Lam said: “I think we had 12 changes and it’s taken a while to get some momentum with this side.
“But, in poor performances earlier in the season, we were still winning when we weren’t playing very well.
“That came down to the overall strength of the squad outside of the 17 and 21. We didn’t have that depth last year so that’s been key for us.
“We have also bought in players that are hungrier and fresher that have taken us to the next level.”
With the Leopards almost already being ruled out of the running for a Grand Final place by fans and pundits, Lam isn’t too fussed about those conversations.
“We don’t talk about that too often, it’s obviously been mentioned as the big picture stuff,” he said.
“It’s more about the process for me, the week-to-week performances. We have been really good with staying in our lane at the moment.”
