Leigh Leopards boss gives verdict on Tom Amone and other NRL links

Leigh Leopards head coach Adrian Lam has responded to further reports about the club re-signing Tom Amone or adding other NRL stars.

The Leopards have both an overseas quota spot and salary cap space available making them one of the only Super League clubs with both and that has naturally seen them linked to some overseas recruits.

One of those which would be a bombshell return would be that of prop forward Tom Amone who left the Leopards at the end of the 2024 season after a campaign that left many considering the Leigh man as the best prop in Super League.

Reports recently emerged that Leigh were ‘leading the chase’ to bring Amone back to Super League with the powerhouse not getting game time in the NRL and Adrian Lam has now responded to those reports.

Leigh Leopards boss gives verdict on Tom Amone and other NRL links

Speaking to the media, he stated: “There’s obviously strong rumours about Tom and Tom’s a player that’s played here in the past and has built his reputation around being a part of Leigh and was involved with that Challenge Cup win a couple of years ago.

“He’s popular with the fans, popular with the players. If we can do anything and it is true that he wants to come back to Super League then we’ll have a conversation with him but nothing’s progressed from that at the moment.”

Lam continued, adding: “He’s contracted there at Canterbury for a couple of years and until things do (change), well then we’re not really in that position to talk.

“We love Tom and what he’s done for us, so we’ll see what happens.”

As well as the connections to Tom Amone, reports have linked the Leopards with an “immediate move” for New Zealand Warriors playmaker Te Maire Martin, which the Leigh boss was also asked about.

He responded: “Yeah, obviously we’re in the market for one or two players and we’ve got that availability in terms of a quota a spot and financially as well so I think anyone that’s coming off contract is going to be linked with us now over the next four to six weeks.

“That’s fine, we’ll talk to everyone and anyone that we can, but we want to be patient too on deciding on who we do add to the squad. We’ll work that out as we go along.”

What’s the secret to Leigh’s recruitment success?

Whilst he stopped short of confirming any new additions, it’s clear that Leigh are one of the only Super League sides in a position to recruit and at the moment, they seem to be one of the best at it.

The likes of Tom Amone and Kai O’Donnell, who have both headed back to the NRL, ascended to be among the elite of Super League whilst at Leigh. Meanwhile, Edwin Ipape who they have tied down until 2031 has also transformed into a star.

Leigh’s ability to pick the diamonds out of the rough has been seen again this season with new man Ethan O’Neill earning rave reviews and Lam was asked about that recruitment process and why Leigh get it so right so often.

“I think it’s probably the key to the success of most clubs is your retention and recruitment policy,” he responded.

“So with us here, I have a great working relationship with Chris Chester as everyone knows and through that process we identify talent but we feel that we do it slightly different than everyone else.

“I don’t want to give that up too easy but we’ve found some players that have certainly gone to another level that no one’s heard of before so we’re always on the lookout for that type of player so if you’re out there and you think I might be talking about you, then give us a call! You might be able to come to our club.”

He did then seem to put off the suggestion of any new signings, stating: “More importantly, we’re happy with what we’ve got here. There has been a lot of changes. We’ve got to be careful not to make too many more changes moving forward because it can break up the momentum of any team.”