Leigh Leopards have fought out a number of rival clubs to keep one of their rising stars who had been in ‘big demand’ of late.
Umyla Hanley had his best season to date in Super League in 2025, earning himself a spot in the competition’s Dream Team and even being touted by some as a possible England international.
Whilst that Ashes call-up did not come, there’s no doubt that another season of that standard will have him in the conversation for the World Cup at the end of this year.
Thankfully for Hanley, a huge weight has lifted from his shoulders as the off-contract centre has signed a new deal that will keep him with Leigh until the end of the 2028 season.
Previously, his deal was set to expire at the end of this current season and that had caused a lot of talk about Hanley as one of the big stars that rival clubs, or even an NRL club, could swoop for, however, he’s now committed to the Leopards.
Umyla Hanley signs new deal with Leigh Leopards
A club statement from Leigh revealed the news: “Leigh Leopards are delighted to confirm that Umyla Hanley has agreed a two-year contract extension with the club until the end of the 2028 season.”
Hanley scored 11 tries and registered eight assists last year with his wing partner Keanan Brand benefiting from many of those assists as he bagged himself 16 tries.
Speaking on his new deal, Hanley said: “I’m absolutely buzzing, I absolutely love this club, I’ve really enjoyed my time here and hopefully we can build on last season.”
Club CEO Neil Jukes revealed that there had been ‘big demand’ for the Leigh centre, explaining: “As you can imagine there was a big demand for Umyla’s signature beyond his current contract that expired at the end of this year.
“He’s the ultimate competitor and over such a short period of time has become a leader within the group. His rate of development since breaking into the first team has been phenomenal and with age on his side I’m sure there’s lots more to come.
“The process took a while to navigate through, given we’re in a salary cap sport. However, it was evident throughout that both parties’ ideal was to always get to this position which in time is what we’ve achieved.”
Adrian Lam echoed those sentiments regarding Hanley as a competitor, stating: “I’ve known Umyla for a very long time, I’ve got so much respect for him as a player and as a person. Seeing him mature on and off the field over that last few years has been one of the highlights of my coaching career, that was there for all to see by how emotional I got when he was announced in the Dream Team last season.
“The scary thing is, I think there’s still a lot to come from him, there are also leadership qualities in him that are starting to shine through and we are grateful that he will play a major part of our future and our success.”
✍️ 𝗨𝗠𝗬𝗟𝗔 𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗟𝗘𝗬 𝗦𝗜𝗚𝗡𝗦 𝗘𝗫𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡
Leigh Leopards are delighted to confirm that Umyla Hanley has agreed a two-year contract extension with the club until the end of the 2028 season.
Read More➡️ https://t.co/eRL9SSQS5D pic.twitter.com/lfFwEtotY3
— Leigh Leopards (@LeighLeopardsRL) January 15, 2026
