Leigh Leopards boss Adrian Lam has provided a recruitment update, and has not ruled out any future signings throughout the season.
The Leopards have brought in five players this winter, a small number compared to previous off-seasons where Leigh have brought in around a dozen new faces.
After working their way to the top of the ladder, and becoming a regular play-off side, Lam’s recruitment strategy has paid off, and it is now time to cement that success by building the squad with the current group they have, meaning there is no need for such a vigorous recruitment cycle.
Adam Cook joins from Canberra Raiders, and will partner Lachlan Lam in the halves, whilst Oliver Polec joins from St Helens and Innes Senior arrives from Castleford Tigers.
Two PNG internationals, Liam Horne and Jacob Alick-Wiencke, have also made the move, and Lam has been impressed with all his recruits in pre-season.
Speaking in a press conference on the club’s Youtube Channel, the boss gave kudos to the Kumuls duo, commenting on what they bring to the team, with the latter even getting compared to an England international.
He said: “Liam has been here [Super League] a couple of years and probably gone a bit quiet but we feel that we have the staff here to take him to the next level and help him build on what the team has done.
“Jacob, I think there’s a little bit of Kai Pearce-Paul about him if people want to compare. I tried to get him two years ago and he said ‘No’, but I’m glad we’ve got him here now.
“Liam Horne is a competitor who can break the line and is a very aggressive defender, very similar to Edwin, and we’re excited about that.
“Jacob Alick is a player who has X-factor with an offload and where we play him at the start of the season, we’ll make a decision on that but he’s certainly going to bring another level to us. I’m excited to watch him develop and take control of Super League.”
“…The players have been hand selected for what they can add and they’re both competitors and, on their day, as good as any in Super League in their position. I think they’ll set Super League alight.”
Leigh Leopards boss leaves door open for further 2026 recruitment
Whilst the squad are settled at present, Lam did say that more additions could be made, be that prior to or after the season beginning.
Leigh signed Joe Ofahengaue in April of last year, and instantly became one of their most effective forwards throughout the year.
Though it isn’t a priority, Lam suggested that a switch like that could be on the cards again, but only if the right person came available.
He said: “We’ve had a five-year plan in place and a lot of detail to how we want to be playing at Old Trafford. We’ve recruited heavily over the years with 12 or 13 players each year, I think it’s only five changes so far this year with the window still open during the season to potentially build on that.
“I’m pretty happy with where the squad is at and the new faces that have come in have certainly added some and we’ve brought in some X-factor for the new season.
“I think we’ve got opportunity to [make more signings] so we won’t close the door and we never do… If we feel that we need to strengthen the group then we can do that.”
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