Leigh Leopards boss Adrian Lam has confirmed that Ben McNamara has agreed a deal to remain with the club for next season.
McNamara is one of several Leigh players off-contract this year alongside the likes of Lachlan Lam and Gareth O’Brien. However, the playmaker has caught the eye when called upon and right now, he is playing a key role within the Leopards line up.
The 23-year-old has made 11 appearances this season but hasn’t missed a game since round nine on April 26, after establishing his spot in the side as cover in the halves and hooker.
And, Lam was delighted confirm that McNamara will be sticking around for next season when asked by Serious About RL about his future.
“Benny will be here next year,” Lam said. “I’ve coached Benny since he was 12,13,14 at Clovelly Crocs and at the Roosters and I think the position we’re looking at for him is that nine at the moment.
“He’s done such a great job in the halves that he’s one of those players that is so valuable to this squad for this year certainly. Moving forward I have to keep working hard with him to get him to another level as soon as we can.”
Leigh Leopards boss on Gareth O’Brien future
Lam couldn’t be quite as certain about O’Brien’s future, though, despite previously outlining his desire to keep hold of the veteran pivot.
“It’s not been finalised yet,” he added. “He’s a very important part of our group, I respect him as a person and a player and if we can make it happen he’ll be here next year.
“He’s missed some games this year and Ben McNamara has come in and done some great things for us. There is a bit of pressure coming from all the players on the outside, which I appreciate and everyone in the squad appreciates as well.”
As has been well publicised, this week has seen a change in overseas quota rules, allowing clubs to take on as many as 10 foreign players from next season. Lam is a fan of such a change and he has hinted at the possibility of more players arriving from down under over the off-season with the club monitoring a couple of players closely.
“Not too much,” Lam said when asked how the changes will impact the Leopards’ recruitment for next season. “We’ll just power on as we do. I think we’re as aggressive as anyone in the competition with recruitment and retention.
“We haven’t lost many players here that we’ve wanted to keep and we’ve more or less got what we’ve wanted to get. Having said that I’m pretty excited about it to be fair. There’s a couple of players that we’ve identified that we’ll have a look and see what can happen moving forward.”
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— Serious About Rugby League (@SeriousAboutRL) July 10, 2025
