The announcement yesterday marked the Leigh Leopards’ first move towards rebuilding their team for the 2025 Super League season with the signing of Aaron Pene to a two and a half year contract. Pene, who was just acquired from Melbourne Storm, will immediately be included in Leigh’s squad for this weekend’s away match against the Catalans Dragons.
This summer, Leigh will undergo a significant makeover as several important players are expected to go. The first stated departure was John Asiata, who will join Hull FC in 2025. Oliver Holmes and Zak Hardaker, whose contracts expire at the end of the season, are rumoured to be joining him.
Both Kai O’Donnell and Tom Amone will be leaving the team to rejoin the Canterbury Bulldogs and the North Queensland Cowboys in the NRL, respectively. Star players Matt Moylan and Lachlan Lam have also been connected to moves away from Leigh; however, no firm interest has emerged as of yet.
The fact that Leigh is active in the market and there is ample room for new players is a benefit of this squad churn. The future of a player who has been connected to a move to Leigh in recent weeks has now been discussed by an NRL coach.
In recent weeks, Jack de Belin, an experienced NRL forward, has been linked to a move to Leigh. De Belin has played for St George Illawarra for a long time, enjoying great success. He has also represented Papua New Guinea and New South Wales internationally in State of Origin matches.
De Belin’s Dragons contract is scheduled to expire at the end of the current campaign, and he has not yet reached an agreement to sign a new contract to continue with the team. Leigh is rumoured to be considering a move to de Belin, who is also apparently of interest to the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
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