Four Leigh Leopards v Catalans Dragons stand-outs as debutant impresses and Adrian Lam given food for thought

Leigh Leopards got Magic Weekend underway with a win as they edged out Catalans Dragons 26-24.

Steve McNamara’s side built up a 12-0 lead early on in the game, but the Leopards pulled themselves back into the contest with first-half tries coming from Edwin Ipape and Ben McNamara, before Owen Trout and Ethan O’Neill got over in the second half to see the Leopards move up to second, at least temporarily.

Here’s four who caught our eye from the game.

Joe Ofahengaue – Leigh Leopards

Making his debut for the Leopards, the former Wests Tigers man gave Leigh fans a glimpse of his talents by finding a smart offload inside the first 10 minutes of the contest. Using his size and strength, he bumped off the defender and set Leigh on the attack and he repeated the feat five minutes later to make a fine start to his Leigh career.

A strong first half spell came before a second half showing that helped the Leopards get the job done late on, showing he’s not just a big body but he has a tidy pair of hands as well. With Chris Chester leaving Leigh this week, the signing of Ofahengaue might just turn out to be a fitting final signing.

Guillermo Aispuro-Bichet – Catalans Dragons

The youngster wasn’t perfect at St James’ Park but he did more than enough to prove what a talent he is, taking his try extremely well. Aispuro-Bichet beat five would-be tacklers after receiving the ball on the 30 metre line to touch down in style.

The full-back swept up play well enough but he couldn’t prevent Leigh coming from behind to claim their fifth straight win in all competitions.

Bailey Hodgson – Leigh Leopards

Adrian Lam has some food for thought going into the Challenge Cup semi-final, especially if David Armstrong is passed fit to play. Armstrong will surely come back into the full-back role if he’s ready to, but Hodgson more than deserves to play and Lam must do all he can to find a space for him.

The 22-year-old was a real livewire against the Dragons, with his running game causing problems for the French defensive line.

Edwin Ipape – Leigh Leopards

Another man of the match worthy performance from the Papua New Guinea international, but we’ve certainly come to expect that from him over the last couple of seasons. He took his try extremely well in the first half, cutting through the Catalans line with precision to bring Leigh into the contest after a woeful start.

His defensive might and pace around the ruck was vital in helping the Leopards get more of a foothold, too.