SUPER LEAGUE teams have done most of their transfer business in 2023, with aims now focused on retention for 2024 and beyond.
Super League clubs will be looking towards the May 1 deadline which symbolises when out-of-contract players will be free to negotiate with other clubs.
Looking at the newly-promoted Leigh Leopards, head coach Adrian Lam and director of rugby Chris Chester have put together a strong squad in the hope of thriving in Super League rather than just surviving.
That being said, there are still eight players out of contract and who will be free to move clubs at the end of 2023.
Those eight are: Jacob Jones, Ben Nakubuwai, Tom Nisbet, Kai O’Donnell, Ben Reynolds, Aaron Smith, Joe Wardle, Nathan Wilde.
Both Nisbet and Smith signed one-year deals after impressing in Leigh’s superb Championship season in 2022 whilst being on loan from St Helens, whilst Wilde is a new recruit coming from Newcastle Thunder.
Reynolds has been a key part of the Leopards’ squad in recent years, helping to forge a brilliant partnership with the likes of Joe Mellor and Lachlan Lam last season.
Wardle and Jones were both signed ahead of Leigh’s 2022 season with the duo impressing whilst Nakubuwai and O’Donnell were likewise outstanding last year.
Moving forward, it will be interesting to see if Lam and Chester want to keep the bulk of the squad together, but, of course, it will all depend on whether or not the Leopards steer clear of relegation.
