Injuries Hit Leigh Leopards Ahead Of The Game Against Huddersfield

By Wilson Maina

The Leigh Leopards will not have Ethan O’Neil on their team for up to four weeks because of a fractured cheekbone suffered in last week’s game against Hull FC.

It was a clash with fellow defender Edwin Ipape that caused O’Neil to pick up the injury, one of Leigh’s significant signings for the current campaign. After the injury, he played through the rest of the game.

During his pre-match news conference, head coach Adrian Lam revealed that Leigh player Ethan O’Neil is out injured.

“He’s got a couple of mild fractures in his leg. It’ll take about three weeks,” said Lam in a pre-match conference.

“When we do this procedure, it’s considered minor, so he should be home in about three or four weeks.”

David Armstrong might come back into the team against the Huddersfield Giants on Thursday.

“He’s had issues with his quad and ACL and has played just once in the last few weeks.

“He has trained most of the time this week, but he’s been keeping his sessions short,” explained Lam before the match. We won’t decide until the morning of the game.

Due to his failed HIA, Gareth O’Brien is still out. Ben McNamara will once more stand in for him.

“We are hoping he can play in the Wakefield game,” said Lam. If that’s not good enough, then the Catalans face the domestic team in the worst case.

Talking about the backline, Lam said he still faces tough decisions with Josh Charnley, Darnell McIntosh, and Bailey Hodgson.

“Is Charnley going to stay on the bench? Should McIntosh take his place instead, or are we done with Charnley?” asked Lam. At least the first five defenders in the squad have had a break of around four to six weeks during the season.

Despite recent difficulties, Leigh is fourth in the Super League and will look to turn things around at Huddersfield.