Connect with us

Leigh Leopards

Leigh Leopards sweating on fitness of star man ahead of Super League opener

Leigh Leopards head coach Adrian Lam

Leigh Leopards are sweating on the fitness of Edwin Ipape ahead of the start of the Super League season. The Leopards will get their league campaign underway against Wigan Warriors in less than four weeks and it seems Adrian Lam will be keeping a close eye on his star hooker.

Ipape was forced to go under the knife following Leigh’s play-off semi-final exit last season after struggling with a shoulder injury. That saw him miss Papua New Guinea’s Pacific Championships campaign and he has been forced to sit out of a chunk of pre-season, too.

As such, the 25-year-old is now in a race against time to prove his fitness and while Lam hasn’t ruled him out, the head coach admits he is a doubt for their opener at the Brick Community Stadium.

“Edwin will be 50-50 whether he plays in round one,” Lam told the Leigh Journal.

“He is pretty much on track and heading in the right direction. But we will make a final decision leading up to that week.

“Everything has been positive and there haven’t been any setbacks. It’s just about making sure we don’t do it too soon.

“However, you have got to have (the surgery) done because you can’t get through the season unless it is completed.”

Ipape will almost certainly sit out of Leigh’s only pre-season friendly against Warrington Wolves at the start of February then and Leigh’s Challenge Cup third round tie against either Mirfield, the Royal Navy or Workington Town, too.

However, given Ipape’s importance to Leigh’s cause, Lam will surely give him all the time he needs to prove his fitness ahead of the Super League opener.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Must See

More in Leigh Leopards