Leigh Leopards boosted for Wigan clash with return of star player

Leigh Leopards have released details of their 21-man squad to face Wigan Warriors in Thursday night’s ‘Battle of the Borough’ with both sides aiming to respond after defeat over the Bank Holiday weekend.

Wigan had their winning streak ended by rivals St Helens on Good Friday in a dramatic game that has seen them lose both Liam Byrne and Tyler Dupree to suspension. Irish international Byrne learned his fate at tribunal last night and will miss four games, whilst Dupree was unsuccessful in appealing his one-game ban.

As such, the champions will be somewhat depleted in their forward pack but they do boast young talents such as Junior Nsemba, Harvie Hill and Tiaki Chan to replace them, whilst also having star forward Luke Thompson and others available.

They have only managed to name a 20-man squad though with the club potentially having been hopeful that they would be successful in their appeal of Tyler Dupree and could therefore possibly add him in, something that never came to fruition with the prop’s ban upheld.

Meanwhile, Leigh are still missing a number of their star players through injury including two of their key forwards in captain John Asiata and prop Tom Amone, whilst hooker Edwin Ipape also remains an absentee.

Leigh are boosted by the return of centre Ricky Leutele who had missed the clash with Salford meaning that Ed Chamberlain could drop to the bench despite his impressive performance in that game.

Another man who impressed was Umyla Hanley, the winger scoring a hattrick in defeat as he continues to impress in the absence of veteran Tom Briscoe, and the winger is once again set to star.

Leigh Leopards 21-Man Squad

1 – Gareth O’Brien
3 – Zak Hardaker
4 – Ricky Leutele
5 – Josh Charnley
6 – Matt Moylan
7 – Lachlan Lam
10 – Robbie Mulhern
11 – Kai O’Donnell
12 – Jack Hughes
14 – Dan Norman
15 – Matt Davis
16 – Frankie Halton
17 – Owen Trout
18 – Ben Nakubuwai
19 – Ed Chamberlain
21 – Ben McNamara
24 – Umyla Hanley
25 – Tom Nisebt
29 – Lewis Baxter
31 – Jack Darbyshire
33 – Brad Dwyer

Wigan Warriors 20-Man Squad

1 – Jai Field
2 – Abbas Miski
3 – Adam Keighan
4 – Jake Wardle
5 – Liam Marshall
6 – Bevan French
7 – Harry Smith
9 – Brad O’Neill
11 – Willie Isa
12 – Liam Farrell
13 – Kaide Ellis
15 – Patrick Mago
16 – Luke Thompson
17 – Kruise Leeming
20 – Harvie Hill
21- Junior Nsemba
23 – Ryan Hampshire
24 – Tiaki Chan
26 – Zach Eckersley
28 – Jacob Douglas