Leigh Leopards off-season recruit joins Championship club on loan

Championship outfit Widnes Vikings have secured the signing of Leigh Leopards winger AJ Towse on loan. Towse has joined the Vikings on a loan deal until the end of the season with Leigh holding the option to recall him if needed.

The 21-year-old signed for the Leopards in the off-season after catching the eye while playing in the Championship for York Knights. He spent four seasons with the Knights and in 67 appearances for the club he touched down 35 times, with 20 of those tries coming during a prolific 2023 campaign.

He has found game time a little harder to come by at Leigh, though, with the likes of Josh Charnley and Darnell McIntosh currently blocking his path to becoming a Super League regular. As such, he has represented the Leopards on just two occasions so far, with his last outing against Salford Red Devils yielding a try.

He’ll be hoping to pick up some valuable minutes at Widnes now, though, with the Vikings currently sitting seventh in the Championship after an inconsistent start to the campaign. Widnes travel to Bradford Bulls on Sunday afternoon and Towse is expected to be involved for Allan Coleman’s side.

Coleman delighted to welcome Leigh Leopards man

“He obviously played for York in the Championship last season. A very good player, he’s tall, rangy, and athletic, which is something we’ll need, especially with Ryan Ince injured at the moment,” Coleman told the Vikings website about Towse.

“We’re going up against two of the biggest wingers in the Championship this weekend against Bradford, and they love to put kicks up to them in the corner, so it’ll be really good to have him in to defend against that.

“He’s someone we admire and we’ve been after him for some time, so a big thanks to Leigh for letting us have him.”