Leigh Leopards boss Adrian Lam and his side are in a great place right now, sitting second in the Super League and through to the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup.
Their 62-4 win over Batley Bulldogs was the biggest win of the fourth round and once again showed just how ruthless their attack can be.
However, another injury to Darnell McIntosh put a dampener on the celebrations.
The winger was making his first start of the 2025 campaign after suffering a posterior cruciate ligament injury during the Leopards’ pre-season training camp in Lanzarote.
Lasting only 20 minutes, McIntosh limped off after scoring a try in some discomfort.
Leigh boss Lam said: “Our first thoughts were that he’d dislocated his shoulder, or he’d had a subluxation, which is when it pops out and then goes straight back in.
“We’re getting some feedback now that it may just have been an AC joint which pops up.
“That’s still a couple of weeks out, and it’s unfortunate for him.
“It’s his first game back this season after hurting himself in our camp on the very last day of the camp.
McIntosh initially seemed to have an eye problem following a missed conversion before a misplaced pass saw Batley get their solo try of the afternoon.
Lam added: “He had about 20 minutes, and it was a crazy 20 minutes. We’ll just make sure we get around him and make sure he’s okay.”
The Leigh Leopard head coach admitted they’re in a good place right now but they might be looking to add to their squad over the coming weeks.
“We’re in a golden position at the moment, and we’re pretty excited about that.
“We are in the market for one or two players, and we’ll keep working on that as we go along. We’re in the box seat.
“We’ve just got to make sure we keep our eyes open with the recruitment side of things, seeing where we can strengthen our side, and we’ve got our finger on the pulse with that at the moment.
After plenty of speculation surrounding Salford Red Devils centre Nene Macdonald’s future, Lam touched on the situation and a potential move to the Leopards.
He finished: “There have been some links with Nene Macdonald through the press, but we haven’t spoken to Nene.
“We love Nene for what he’s done for us, but he won’t be here next year.
“We’re really happy with our outside backs here at the moment, so he’s not a player we’re looking at.”
Lam also said they may look to add a forward and a halfback to their playing roster to strengthen their squad, with a quota spot available following Ben Nakubuwai’s departure.
Leigh Leopards next head to Hull KR on Sunday afternoon in round 5 of Super League, with the game live on Sky Sports+ and Super League+.
