‘Heck of a journey’ – How John Asiata wants to cap off Leigh Leopards legacy

Leigh Leopards are determined to make their form and spirit count in the play-offs as they look to mark the end of an era in the best way possible.

The Leopards found themselves struggling for results at the start of the campaign, but their turnaround over the final few months of the season was quite simply remarkable. Adrian Lam’s side won 10 of their last 12 games of the regular season, with their only losses coming against the top two clubs Wigan Warriors and Hull KR.

That saw them defy the odds and rise from the obscurity of mid-table to fifth, with a win over St Helens last week setting up tonight’s tie against Salford Red Devils at the Salford Community Stadium. The league table would suggest that Salford have enjoyed a better season, with Paul Rowley’s side claiming fourth spot, but Leigh are the form side and with their tails up, they might just be seen as favourites to advance by many.

With so many fan favourites leaving the club at the end of the season, the squad has adopted a ‘last dance mentality’, with the group striving to go out on a high and John Asiata, who will be joining Hull FC in 2025, is determined to create one last magical memory in leopard print.

“It does,” Asiata told Serious About RL when asked if it felt like the end of an era at Leigh. “A lot of us that are going were there from the Championship.

“It’s going to look a little bit different next year for Leigh in regards to the players that are going to be there but but it’s been one heck of a journey that I’ve really enjoyed and achieved a lot in it, a lot of wins and great victories with the squad. It’s been incredible to be a part of it all and a part of the rebuild that happened in ’22.

“For the club to be where we are now, I just hope that what I’ve done and what I’ve created and what the group has done has put us into a good position.

“The motivation is always there, you always want to be in that business end of the season and we’re two games away, so why not go for it all and try and get there. A lot of people doubted us from round one when we had all those injuries and we weren’t winning games, a lot of people doubted us, but it was about us a group, sticking strong with each other no matter what the outside noise was.

“We made sure we continued believing in what we had and what we can create. Over the last weeks we’ve created something really strong going into the finals and momentum is going to be key.

“Once you get to the finals there’s not much you can learn or change, it’s all about what you’ve done throughout the year and I think the last few weeks will set us up really well.”

Leigh Leopards have already beaten Salford twice this season, with the last meeting between the two sides at Magic Weekend ending in a rather one-sided 26-0 Leigh victory. Lam’s side have every right to fancy their chances then this evening, but they know Salford will be feeling confident, too, particularly in front of a record home crowd.

“Salford is a quality team,” Asiata added. “They’ve got a lot of experience and a lot of people that have the ability to open up a game or take control. They have probably one of the best kickers or controllers of the game in Marc Sneyd and two damaging centres on the edges.

“You have a lot of guys that are very energetic that don’t give up like Oliver Partington and Joe Mellor. We have to make sure that we’re on our game and make sure that what we’ve done in the last 11 weeks doesn’t go to waste. Carry it through and make sure we do it on game day.”

Should they win at Salford this evening Leigh Leopards would take on either Wigan or Hull KR in the semi-finals next week.