Leigh Leopards: Is 2023 finally year yo-yo club crack Super League?

Leigh booked their spot backmost successful Super League by beating Batley Bulldogs successful past season's Championship play-off final

Leigh are backmost successful Super League, with a caller sanction and revamped squad, but tin they yet ace the apical formation and stay successful the division?

Having graced Super League 3 times before, the nine dropped backmost down to the 2nd tier connected each occasion.

Can they interruption the curse and found their spot among the best?

Hellos and goodbyes astatine the LSV

England planetary backmost Zak Hardaker is 1 of 11 caller signings made by Leigh Leopards earlier the 2023 season

Leigh's 3 appearances successful Super League successful the past - successful 2005, 2017 and 2021 - each resulted successful relegation aft 1 play successful the apical division.

Their preparations for 2023 began soon aft the decision of the 2022 campaign.

On the aforesaid time the nine changed its branding, they besides signed a whopping 10 players, including Leeds Rhinos duo Zak Hardaker and Tom Briscoe.

For brag Adrian Lam, who led an contiguous instrumentality to Super League aft leaving Wigan Warriors astatine the extremity of the 2021 season, it was a bittersweet feeling to spot astir of his promotion-winning squad depart.

"2022 was an astonishing play for america successful the Championship and astir apt my astir enjoyable arsenic coach. We worked truly hard to get done that," helium told BBC Radio Manchester.

"The world is, retired of that radical we've had to fto spell astir 15 players sadly and there's ever emotion caught up with that due to the fact that they're each large men.

"As a group, [owner] Derek Beaumont, [operations manager] Neil Jukes, [head of rugby] Chris Chester and myself person worked truly hard and done a truly bully occupation successful getting the squad to wherever it's at."

Can the Leopards sound spots disconnected Super League rivals?

Spot the difference? Leigh Leopards fans person surely taken to the caller branding during pre-season

To headdress disconnected their Super League instrumentality and arsenic they unveil their caller sanction and branding, indie popular set Scouting for Girls volition play astatine half-time during their play opener against Salford Red Devils connected Friday.

Despite their polarising garment redesign - which sees a leopard emblazoned connected their chests - Lam is simply a instrumentality of their caller branding and says the municipality is already good down it.

"We've had a sanction alteration and logo alteration and the municipality is buzzing with it, everyone's wearing leopard people present to the games," helium continued.

"To beryllium honest, I perfectly emotion it. I deliberation it's been the top happening for the nine and I deliberation moving forward, the fans volition get retired and enactment america connected circular one.

"There's amusement lined up for that crippled and it'll conscionable beryllium a reminder that we're backmost successful Super League wherever we merit to be."

Building for the future, not conscionable 2023

Leigh's astir caller quality successful rugby league's apical formation came astir erstwhile they were awarded a spot successful the league pursuing the withdrawal of Toronto Wolfpack.

Their inclusion amongst the country's elite did not past long, however, with the nine winning conscionable 2 retired of 22 games to beryllium relegated backmost to the Championship.

It was a akin communicative to the 2 erstwhile times they played successful Super League, truthful what makes 2023 different?

"This isn't astir a 12-month process for us, it's astir a three-to-five-year program astir wherever we privation to be. The past 3 times Leigh person been promoted to Super League, they've been automatically relegated and I recognize however that tin happen," Lam added.

"Having said that, I consciousness we've got a beardown capable squad to vie and to bash good connected a week-to-week ground and it'll travel down to the 80 minutes each week.

"We've recruited immoderate truly experienced players. Over the adjacent 3 to 5 years we'll adhd to that and you'll spot however the squad changes and grows with the bigger representation successful mind."