Leigh Leopards’ Tesi Niu injury update as boss confirms surgery for another key man

Leigh Leopards have been dealt a major blow with key outside back Keanan Brand set to undergo ankle reconstruction surgery.

Brand has not featured for the Leopards since the club’s Challenge Cup victory against Hull FC way back in mid-March, and when previewing his side’s Super League clash against Hull FC, Adrian Lam confirmed the news.

Back in March, Brand’s recovery timeline was set at around six weeks but that rolled on and last week Lam confirmed that the winger was set for scans due to inflammation and fluid on the ankle.

Those scans have revealed that he will have to undergo ankle reconstruction surgery, something that will rule him out for potentially another two months.

“It’s about six or seven weeks for Keanan after the operation so that comes around really quickly,” Lam said when asked about the timeline for Brand’s return.

Rather than dwell, the Leigh coach set forth a challenge with his side pushed to win three from three and set themselves up nicely at the halfway stage of the season, after which they may well be fully fit.

“We’re still three games before the halfway mark, and that’s why they’re so important because it’s an opportunity for us to play our rugby the style we want and put into fruition of the lessons we’ve learned.

“Get three wins, get the six points, maybe be on the verge or equal fifth or sixth on the ladder. That’s what the hope is, leading into that halfway point before we turn with a full squad into the back end of the season.”

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Leigh Leopards centre Tesi Niu set for sideline stint

Whilst news of Brand’s surgery was a setback, Lam also confirmed that fellow outside back Tesi Niu will miss out this week and could miss up to five weeks with a calf injury.

Niu pulled out in the warm-up last before Leigh’s game against Hull KR and when asked if his side could look the same this week, Lam confirmed that it would with Niu not available.

The Leigh Leopards boss said: “Tesi, who was the one that pulled out the warm-up, so obviously I’m not going to play him this week just because of the risk.

“He has got a grade two calf, so they’re saying four-plus weeks, four or five weeks so the timing of the Wembley weekend next weekend certainly helps.

“Tesi is running, and hopefully it’s sooner than that, but he’ll be the only admission from that last 17 that was named to start the game before he changed that, so the team won’t change.”

As for opponents Hull FC, who have their own injury crisis in the forward pack, Lam explained that the number of positional changes can make it difficult to navigate.

He said: “There’ll be positional changes. As a coach, my experiences are it can upset the routine of the team. It can also bring hope and enthusiasm because players are playing in a position maybe that they weren’t before.

“A little bit of youth comes into the team and there can be a lot of energy and, like I said, enthusiasm. So it’s got to be on our terms how this game starts and the intensity of it during the first 40 and the second 40, that’s important to us.

“I feel that the outcome of this game will be dictated by us. I mean, that’s really important.”