Josh Charnley future addressed as Leigh Leopards boss calls for clear communication 

Leigh Leopards head coach Adrian Lam has fielded more questions about the future of off-contract winger Josh Charnley, with Lam outlining that communication will be coming “soon, one way or another”.

A number of key Leigh players are without deals beyond the 2025 season including Lachlan Lam, however, father and coach Adrian has previously suggested that his son will not be leaving despite ‘heavy’ interest from rival Super League clubs.

Lachlan remaining as a Leopards is easier to believe now that Hull KR have committed to Tyrone May with the Super League leaders previously linked to Leigh’s star player.

Other notable off-contract players include Josh Charnley, who has been out of the team of late with Keanan Brand preferred on the wing.

Confirming he had everyone available bar Aaron Pene and Louis Brogan, Lam spoke ahead of the club’s clash with Catalans to explain just how hard it is to manage everyone’s expectations.

“Not everyone’s going to be happy. That’s just the way that it is,” he said

“As long as I communicate and I’m honest with the players, we can move forward from there really quickly. We will have people in positions ready to go so there’s a bit of pressure then now for players to hold their jersey.”

Leigh Leopards boss confirms contract ‘communications coming soon’

The Leigh Leopards boss was asked specifically about Charnley and how the veteran winger had handled being 18th man for the recent win over Wakefield Trinity, with Lam once again pointing to clear communications being key.

He told Serious About Rugby League: “Josh, like everyone else that misses out, is always frustrated and there’s a process that they’ve got to go through. As long as they have clear communication of the reasons why they’re in the team or not in the team, that’s all that we can do.

“Josh’s attitude is still reasonably good and there’s no reason why he may not get a chance this week or get a chance next week. There’s nothing set in stone here. The players, as I mentioned, are all playing for the jersey.

“I’ve had those clear communications with him quite easy.”

As for a future contract, Lam explained that no talks are happening ‘at the moment’, underlining the important of the game against Catalans but teasing a possible announcement soon.

When asked about contract talks, he responded: “Yeah, not at the moment. We’ve got a job to do still here and no doubt there’ll be communications coming soon one way or another.

“For me and for Josh and for the team, I’ve got a squad of 30-odd players there that I need to manage and make sure we get through it. There’s only 17 picked every week and the way that we communicate, I think, is a real strength of the club and the group.

“The more that we do it with those comms, the clearer things will be. Like every other player there, we’ll get through this process.”

🐆 THE 21 SQUAD TO FACE DRAGONS

Ready for Saturday 👊 pic.twitter.com/WUE50sAN8d

— Leigh Leopards (@LeighLeopardsRL) June 19, 2025