Leigh Leopards centre Tesi Niu has had his knee surgery with head coach Adrian Lam confirming that the powerful back is out of hospital, whilst also teasing the slim chance of a return in 2026.
Niu went down at Magic Weekend with the Leigh man the victim of a hip-drop tackle by Warrington’s Sam Powell, something that the Wire man was handed a three-match ban for.
That was little solace for the Leopards who believed that they would be without their strike centre for the rest of the season and whilst that’s still likely to be the case, Leigh boss Adrian Lam has offered a sliver of hope that Niu could return.
Speaking to Serious About Rugby League at his weekly presser, Lam confirmed that the 24-year-old had gone in for his surgery, along with fellow back Bailey Hodgson who had suffered from an elbow infection.
“Both he and Bailey Hodgson went in for surgery yesterday, so both out now and both on the mend, so Tesi is the rest of the season,” Lam initially revealed but he quickly added that there could be hopes of a fast-track return.
Lam said: “If we can fast track that in any way possible, it’ll be right at the very end of the year and maybe back for the final, so fingers crossed that we can get that on track.
“It’ll be a challenge there for our medical team and for Tesi but Tesi’s very professional with his prep so you know there’s no reason why we can’t do that.”
Recovery timeline for Leigh Leopards star
Should Leigh make it to Old Trafford then having a player of Tesi Niu’s impact return for a one-off game such as the Grand Final would be massive for the Leopards, and it would also be a substantial recovery given the nature of the injury.
Lam explained: “It was the MCL rupture and also there was a cartilage that was that was cracked and also lifted, so a dangerous one.”
Having gone in for surgery yesterday, July 14th, Niu has 81 days or just under 12 weeks to make a return for the Grand Final. Of course, he’d require some time back on field before then to find some semblance of match fitness, and even then it may be too tight a window.
However, the fact that there is some hope is still a major positive for the Leopards.
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