Leigh Leopards head coach Adrian Lam has provided an injury update ahead of his side’s clash with Castleford Tigers on Saturday, revealing that one key man could return but that two others have picked up “niggles”.
The Leopards progressed to the Challenge Cup semi-finals with a 20-12 win over Wakefield Trinity on Friday night and whilst they seemed to come through that game fully fit, training injuries have potentially hit them hard.
Previewing Saturday night’s game on the road against Castleford Tigers, Lam confirmed that winger Darnell McIntosh, who missed the start of the season before then suffering an AC joint injury on his return, could be a timely return.
“It will be a pretty similar squad with the addition of, it looks like, Darnell McIntosh will be in there,” confirmed Lam.
He added: “There has been a couple of niggly injuries today at training, so we’ve got to just make sure we get through to captain’s run there and see how that settles.”
Leigh Leopards’ injury update with one set to return but two suffer ‘niggles’
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Lam did not initially reveal who had been hit with those ‘niggles’ simply explaining: “The squad of 17 isn’t settled as of today. We’ve got a bit of tinkering to do with that as we move into the weekend.”
However, when quizzed about the possible timeline for when Josh Charnley could return, Lam revealed that the pair with “niggles” are outside backs Umyla Hanley and Keanan Brand, who have forged a strong pairing on the right edge this season.
Asked about Charnley, Lam explained: “Yeah, he’s a chance for this week too. Like I said, there’s a couple of niggly injuries at the moment to Umyla (Hanley) and Keanan (Brand), so we’ve got to manage that process through until the captain’s run on Friday and then make a decision based off that.”
As such, it could be a new look back five with the possible returns of McIntosh and Charnley and the possibility that Brand and Hanley don’t pass fit.
Lam spoke with excitement on the prospect of McIntosh returning though, explaining: “Darnell’s had an incredible off-season and was one of our standout players, really, and I was really looking forward to him and combining with Umyla on that right-hand side, the way that they train in pre-season.
“I think he’ll come straight back in when he’s ready. Whether he plays left or right, we’ll make a decision on that but I think he’s a player that brings that bit of X-factor to us.
“He’s got a little bit more height, he’s a strong carrier. Our back five have been doing a really good job for us and I’ve been proud of them, but he’ll certainly bring it to the next level.”
We will know more when Leigh Leopards name their 21-man squad to face the Tigers at midday on Thursday.
