After winning Super League promotion in 2022, Leigh Leopards had an emphatic first year in Super League under their new moniker.
Changing from the Centurions to the Leopards ahead of 2023, the club have continued to progress and climb up the table, and in 2025 secured a third place finish – the highest in the club’s history.
Whilst their work in the past three seasons is nothing short of impressive, it has to be said that the foundation for their success is down to how they prepared to enter Super League, and that was by building a squad capable of the top flight whilst still in the second tier.
From international players to Super League veterans, the Leigh side that dominated the Championship was nothing short of sensational, and is perhaps the best in the competition’s history – although London Broncos may have something to say about that this year.
Serious About Rugby League have gone back to take a look at just how stacked that Centurions side was, and where each player from their final game under that identity is now.
The last ever Leigh Centurions side – Where are they now?
The final game under their previous identity came in the Championship Grand Final of 2022, whereby they thrashed Batley Bulldogs 64-6 to earn promotion. Here is the Leigh side that took to the field that day, with just two players still at the club in 2026.
Full-back: Caleb Aekins
The Australian played a key role in Leigh’s success that year, scoring 21 tries in 32 appearances. It says a lot about the side, and their incredible attack, when 21 tries in a season was only the joint-fourth highest that year.
Despite excelling, he moved away from the club to join Featherstone Rovers, and that is where he has been up until this off-season. He will now get his chance in the top flight, after signing a deal with Bradford Bulls.
Wingers: Blake Ferguson and Krisnan Inu
Leigh cult hero Ferguson joined Aekins on 21 tries that year, and four of those came on debut against Workington. The former State of Origin representative retired from professional rugby league at the end of that season, and moved to rugby union in Japan. Off-field issues meant that he moved back to Australia, and he is now back in the 13-man code representing Orange CYMS in the Aussie lower leagues in 2026.
Inu also retired from the sport at the end of that year, and became an assistant coach at Salford Red Devils. He is now without a role after the Red Devils went into liquidation.
Centres: Ed Chamberlain and Nene Macdonald
Chamberlain stayed at the Leopards until part-way through 2024, before moving to Hull FC. He will join Bradford on season-long loan in 2026, and with 78 Super League appearances to his name, he is one of the most experience top flight players in their current squad.
Macdonald moved to Leeds Rhinos after finishing top of Leigh’s try scoring charts with 26 from 27 matches. After two seasons, he left to join Salford, but their struggles in 2025 forced him to move back to Australia. After sensationally returning for the final two matches of the regular season, the PNG international has now signed a deal with St Helens, as he reunites with former boss Paul Rowley.
Halves: Lachlan Lam and Joe Mellor
Lam is one of the two players in the 17 to still be at the club, and after signing a new contract towards the end of 2025 will stay with the side for at least another two seasons. His father, Adrian, was and still is the coach of the club, a partnership that is certainly prospering.
Mellor stayed with the club for one year in Super League before moving to the Red Devils ahead of 2024. He made 33 appearances for the club, and is yet another player from this side that will represent the Bulls in 2026.
Props: Adam Sidlow and Tom Amone
Sidlow announced his retirement from the sport in December, putting an end to a 20-year career. He reprented Widnes, Salford, Toronto and Bradford in his career, among others, and racked up a huge 368 career appearances. He will now form part of the coaching staff in the St Helens academy.
Amone is one of Leigh’s best overseas signings in the past half-decade, and was one of the league’s best props after their promotion to the top flight. After re-joining the NRL with Canterbury Bulldogs in 2025, he cut that contract short to join Hull KR for 2026, and represented Castleford Tigers on loan for the second half of the season.
Hooker: Aaron Smith
Former Saints youth player Smith was a Grand Final winner with the Red Vee in 2019, and he would stay at the club until the end of 2021. Joining Leigh for two seasons, he only managed two appearances under the Leopards rebrand, and now features for Barrow Raiders in the Championship.
Back Row: Joe Wardle and Sam Stone
The former Huddersfield man joined Leigh ahead of 2022, and in his career had a one-year spell at NRL side Newcastle Knights. Moving to Oldham in 2024, he became the club’s assistant coach after retiring, but left that role at the end of 2025.
Stone departed the Leigh Sports Village following their promotion and joined Salford Red Devils in 2023. Another casualty of the club’s financial issues, he moved to Warrington Wolves on loan before eventually signing for the club permanently. He has taken the number 12 jersey, and is expected to be a starter under Sam Burgess in 2026.
Loose forward: John Asiata
Rounding out the starting 13 is Asiata, who was undoubtedly one of the club’s biggest signings ahead of 2022. In his three seasons at the club, he was their most influential forwards, with his individual performances often dictating how well the side fared. He moved to Hull FC ahead of 2025, but his time at the Black and Whites has been far from easy, with the former Samoan international suffering a season-ending hamstring injury in August.
Bench: Ben Reynolds, Edwin Ipape, Ben Nakubuwai and Kai O’Donnell
Reynolds has been at Featherstone, Hull FC and Hull KR since his exit from Leigh in 2023. This season, he will feature in the Championship with Batley, the side Leigh beat to earn promotion to Super League.
Ipape joins Lam as being the two players still at the club. The hooker joined from X club in X year and has made X appearances to date. In his time at the club, he has become one of the best and most consistent hookers in the league.
Nakubuwai was set to continue with the Leopards in 2025, but departed the club in March, which then allowed the club to bring in Joe Ofahengaue. The former Fijian international now features under former Leeds boss Rohan Smith at Norths Devils.
O’Donnell was another overseas player who was so influential to the club. H starred for Leigh for three seasons, before rightly earning his move back to the NRL. He now features for North Queensland Cowboys, and made 18 appearances in 2025.
