BEING a Leigh Centurions fan has definitely been a ride in recent seasons.
Following the club’s promotion for the 2021 Super League season, Leigh endured a difficult year, suffering relegation before a stunning season in the Championship in 2022 brought them back to the top flight for 2023.
One of their key men in the Championship-winning campaign in 2022 was hooker Edwin Ipape, who came to the Leigh Sports Village as a relative unknown.
However, Ipape’s name is now on the tips of everyone’s tongues following some incredible performances for Leigh as well as a magnificent performance for Papua New Guinea in their narrow loss to Tonga last night in the Rugby League World Cup.
The Centurions already made sure to tie down the brilliant playmaker and in doing so warn off any rival bids, but one Australian journalist – Adam Mobbs of the Daily Telegraph – believes that Ipape is now in the shop window for an NRL side.
“An explosive, man-of-the-match display has put one Papua New Guinea star firmly in the shop window for NRL teams on the hunt for a game-changing weapon,” wrote Mobbs in the Daily Telegraph.
Following on from that statement, Mobbs also wrote: “His performance for PNG is sure to draw the attention of NRL teams.”
That being said, Leigh owner Derek Beaumont has gone about his retention and recruitment in a brilliant manner in 2022 and a new three-year deal for Ipape during the year was perhaps one of the best pieces of business that the outspoken chairman has done.
