“F*ck them, they didn’t want me” – Zak Hardaker on Leeds Rhinos exit

Today stars who previously played for Leeds Rhinos, Wigan Warriors, Warrington Wolves and the other ‘big clubs’ will play at Wembley but for Leigh Leopards and Hull KR.

It is the first final without Leeds, Wigan, Warrington and St Helens since 1986 and shows that other clubs are starting to have success taking a chance on players who were let go by other clubs.

That is especially true of Leigh who are chasing their first Challenge Cup since 1971 which came against Zak Hardaker’s former team Leeds.

Hardaker was at Leeds when they won back to back cups in 2014 and 2015 and helped Leeds to the Grand Final in 2022 but he couldn’t agree a deal and subsequently joined Leigh.

It seems these exits are helping inspire the Leopards.

Hardaker said on the Fully Game podcast: “Because we’ve got people from different walks of life and different clubs, and we’ve all been like put together because clubs didn’t want us, or your time was deemed up, or you’re 31 so you’re getting to end your career, or Leigh wanted you to, for your experience, and stuff like that.

“We’ve all come together and been like, ‘f**k it, that club didn’t want him, well f**k them, or that club didn’t want him, f**k them’, and then I want to stay at Leeds and they didn’t want me there, so it’s just like that mixture of people, and it’s just a big cocktail really of things and it’s just all come together and yeah it’s a strong group.”

Asked if he has something to prove, Hardaker said: “I think so yeah but it’s nothing like we need to prove it, it’s just individually we’re all proud. Myself, I’m a proud person and I want to do the best I can and I love proving people wrong, I’ve done it for a lot of years.

“I just think it collectively as a group we’re all single-minded in that’s what we want. so then when you put it into a group and you’ve got a coach and playing staff and an owner like Derek who’s a bit bonkers but he wants the best for us, then it’s just a great mixture of getting the best out of us.”