Leigh Leopards are approaching the 2026 Super League season with five new signings

Liam Horne and Innes Senior are the most recognisable new faces with the pair making the move over from Castleford Tigers in the off-season. However, youngster Oliver Polec has been secured from St Helens, while Jacob Alick-Wiencke and Adam Cook have made the move from down under.

Of course, in order to make room for the new arrivals, there must be departures and Ethan O’Neill and Darnell McIntosh have left the club. Both have gone over to the other side of the Pennines with O’Neill joining Leeds Rhinos, while McIntosh has made the switch to Wheldon Road.

However, it’s fair to say the club are entering another big year when it comes to retention. And, reports of Harry Newman agreeing to join Perth Bears should certainly serve as a warning for clubs letting the contracts of their most high profile players tick down.

There’s at least three deals that can be seen as retention priorities for the club within the next few months and several other big contract decisions to be made.

With that in mind, here’s a look at Leigh’s contract situation.

2026: Umyla Hanley, Owen Trout, Robbie Mulhern, Jack Hughes, Aaron Pene, Alec Tuitavake, Matty Davis, Will Brough, Bailey Hodgson, Brad Martin, Ryan Brown, Isaac Liu, Gareth O’Brien, Ben McNamara, Josh Charnley.

Wrapping up Owen Trout has to be seen as a priority for Leigh. He’s been superb for the Leopards over the last couple of seasons and his form in 2025 led to an Ashes nod. Adrian Lam has spoken at length about his importance to the side and he’ll surely be one Leigh are speaking to at present.

Robbie Mulhern and Umyla Hanley are in the same boat, too. The pair were on the verge of the England squad this autumn and wrapping them up could provide a huge boost for the Leopards.

Isaac Liu was excellent in his first season with the club, while Bailey Hodgson was superb after stepping into the side to replace the injured David Armstrong midway through the season.

Decisions on the likes of Gareth O’Brien, Aaron Pene and Jack Hughes will likely come later in the campaign.

2027: David Armstrong, Tesi Niu, Frankie Halton, Louis Brogan, AJ Towse, Nathan Wilde, Lachlan Lam, Innes Senior

It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Leigh wrapping up a number of these players’ long-term futures over the next few months.

Of course, they are contracted for two more seasons, but the likes of Armstrong, Niu and Lam are names that could pop up on the radars of NRL clubs this time next year if they aren’t tied down.

Halton was excellent last season and Leigh will be comfortable on his future, while AJ Towse is one player very highly thought of at Leigh Sports Village.

2028: Keanan Brand, Andrew Badrock, Joe Ofahengaue, Jacob Alick-Wiencke, Oliver Polec, Adam Cook, Liam Horne.

Joe Ofahengaue was one of the signings of the season in 2025 with the prop making a huge impact on his arrival from the NRL. Four of these names are new signings, while Brand and Badrock look set to have big roles to play next season.

2031: Edwin Ipape

A contract that sees Ipape secured for the next six seasons, wrapping up the remainder of his peak years as a player. Given Papua New Guinea will have an NRL team in 2028, that comes as a huge boost.