Amid reports that Leigh Leopards are seeking to secure the immediate signing of their former player and current NRL man Kai O’Donnell, head coach Adrian Lam has shared details on the possible signing.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Lam admitted: “Kai’s name keeps coming up and if you look, he’s playing for the Cowboys this week so it’s a very difficult one.
“He’s one that we respect here, me as a coach. I’ve always said that someone like Kai is a player that, if we could ever bring someone back, it would be someone like him because he’s the ultimate professional.
“At this point in time, that’s not going ahead but if there’s an opportunity there, I will talk to him. I will reach out and speak to him.”
Lam also insisted other names will be considered, adding: “There are several names that are available at this point and we’ve just got to filter through that and make sure we come up with the right ones.”
On the timing of O’Donnell being called up to the Cowboys amid the reports of an exit, Lam explained that he didn’t read much into it.
He explained: “We had no plans on bringing him over this week or next week or anything like that.
“My point to you is we haven’t talked to Kai in depth about what that opportunity is at the moment because he’s contracted there for this year.”
Reports of Leigh being keen to bring O’Donnell back to Super League were first shared by Love Rugby League, whilst the Leopards’ decision to release overseas forward Aaron Pene certainly sparked the flames as they made room on their quota cap for an overseas recruit.
Leigh Leopards’ pursuit of Kai O’Donnell
O’Donnell signed with Leigh back when they were still branded as the Centurions, joining early in their 2022 campaign in the Championship as he scored an impressive 14 tries in 23 games.
He was part of the club’s Challenge Cup win in 2023 and then had his best season with the Leopards in 2024, earning himself a move back to the NRL as he signed a two-year deal at the North Queensland Cowboys.
Reports emerged early in July that Leigh may be in for the off-contract forward, with Adrian Lam admitting his admiration of the player and even going as far as to say: “We’ve lost all those players over the last two or three years, if we could bring one back, it’d probably be him but that opportunity won’t come about unless he’s interested in a move to Super League.”
O’Donnell has generally been out of the frame in terms of first-grade selection for the Cowboys this year, however, he has been handed a start this coming weekend with the back-rower set to feature for the first time since April.
If Leigh are to bring O’Donnell in for the 2026 season then they’ll have to make the move before the transfer deadline of August 21st, meaning there’s less than three weeks to get a deal done.
Moreover, if O’Donnell is back in the starting picture at the Cowboys then that would surely make it harder to convince him to make the return to Leigh.
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