‘Season over’ – Sky pundit gives Leigh Leopards hard facts on woeful start

Last year, Leigh Leopards shocked Super League in their first season back. The Leopards won the Challenge Cup and qualified for the play-offs. They faced none of the usual difficulties faced by newly promoted sides, such as London Broncos.

Leigh assembled a side of Super League veterans such as Zak Hardaker, Josh Charnley and Oliver Holmes. They supplemented this with star overseas players, such as John Asiata, Edwin Ipape and Lance Todd Trophy winner Lachlan Lam.

But this season has been more of a struggle for Leigh, who have won just one from their opening seven games. Sam Burgess’ Warrington Wolves side narrowly beat Leigh at the weekend. They now find themselves well adrift of the play-offs.

Wilkin damning on Leigh Leopards’ chances

Vocal Sky pundit, Jon Wilkin, is not shy of offering a strong opinion. He recently described Richie Myler’s appointment as Director of Rugby at Hull FC as ‘weird’. He has now weighed in on Leigh’s play-off hopes.

Recent defeats against Hull KR in the Challenge Cup and Wigan Warriors in Super League leaves Leigh’s silverware hopes in 2024 in tatters, with the Leopards well behind Leeds Rhinos in 8th place. According to Wilkin, Leigh are unlikely to repeat last year’s heroics.

“Let’s get to the facts… With 20 games remaining, they need to win 15 if history if anything to go by. That becomes really tricky.”

Wilkin believes the ongoing absence of key players has been instrumental in Leigh’s struggles. “Now what’s crippled Leigh this year is how threadbare their squad is and it’s been exposed when they’ve lost John Asiata and Edwin Ipape.

“They are two of their standout players, two players which the organise the majority of their attack. They are two of their leaders, with them two out of the team, just in isolation just look much more redundant with the ball.

“Statistically, it’s just getting more and more unlikely that Leigh can recreate what they did last year.”

Grounds for Leigh optimism

Yesterday’s much-improved performance at Warrington can give Leigh hope. Wilkin believes that though the return of Leigh’s key men is still unlikely to result in a play-off spot, it does give them a puncher’s chance.

“The good news is they’re back, aren’t they, soon? John Asiata maybe next week, Edwin (Ipape) in a couple of weeks. But that can’t come soon enough.”

If Leigh are to mount a play-off charge, the wins have to start coming soon. Their next three matches, against Castleford, Salford, and Huddersfield, will be pivotal. If they can win those games against the teams around them in the table, Wilkin may have to eat some humble pie at the end of the season.