Leigh take on Bradford for just the third time ever in Super League on Sunday afternoon. It’ll also be a first meeting with the Bulls under the ‘Leopards’ moniker, but where are the Leigh side from the pair’s last head-to-head now?
Well, the most recent meeting came at Odsal on July 3, 2022 – and ended in a 56-6 victory for visitors Leigh.
Adrian Lam’s side ran in ten tries in West Yorkshire en-route to clinching the treble at Championship level: winning the 1895 Cup, League Leaders’ Shield and eventually Grand Final to secure promotion to Super League.
Three of the Leigh 17 from that Sunday afternoon are now with the Bulls, and here’s a look at the squad in full…
Caleb Aekins
Caleb Aekins in action for Leigh Centurions in 2022
New Zealand-born Wales international Aekins is one of the three players from this Leigh side now with Bradford. He spent just a sole season as a Leyther in 2022, joining Featherstone Rovers ahead of the following campaign and remaining with them until the Bulls signed him for their return to Super League this term.
Blake Ferguson
Ferguson arrived at Leigh midway through 2022, scored 21 tries in 17 appearances as well as one goal, and then departed into the sunset. The seven-time Australia international is still playing today in Australia’s local leagues, joining Peter McDonald Premiership outfit Orange CYMS ahead of the 2026 campaign.
Ed Chamberlain
The second Bradford star in this Leigh side from four years ago is Ireland international Chamberlain, who is currently on a season-long loan at Odsal from fellow Super League side Hull FC. He remained with Leigh until joining the Black and Whites midway through 2024.
Nene Macdonald
Papua New Guinean Macdonald is another still in Super League today with St Helens. Having spent a sole season at Leigh and scored 27 tries in as many matches, The centre has now played 89 appearances across all competitions in the British game. His other clubs include Leeds, Salford and Oldham.
Krisnan Inu
Inu hung up his boots at the end of a remarkable 2022 campaign with Leigh which saw him smash points record aplenty. He grabbed 28 here at Odsal via a hat-trick of tries and eight goals. The Kiwi went on to join Salford Red Devils as an assistant coach, and earlier this year, spent a few weeks as head coach of Championship strugglers North Wales Crusaders.
Ben Reynolds
Ben Reynolds in action for Leigh against Hull KR in 2023
Reynolds has played just shy of 250 career games, and 148 of those came across three separate stints at Leigh. Departing at the end of 2023 as a Challenge Cup winner, the half-back – who turned 32 in January – has gone on to play for Featherstone, Hull KR, Hull FC and Batley.
Joe Mellor
Mellor was Leigh’s co-captain in 2022, and like Reynolds, bid farewell to the Leopards’ Den at the end of the following campaign having won the Challenge Cup. After spending a couple of seasons at Salford, he linked back up with another former Leyther in the shape of Kurt Haggerty ahead of 2026 after he became Bradford’s head coach, taking Mellor with him to Odsal.
Adam Sidlow
Sidlow departed Leigh for Salford at the end of 2023, going on to play for both Oldham and Swinton before hanging up his boots at the start of this year. Soon after announcing his retirement, he landed a job in Super League with St Helens, who he joined as an Assistant Scholarship Coach.
Aaron Smith
A Super League Grand Final winner with Saints in 2019, hooker Smith was among Leigh’s try-scorers in this win at Odsal during a season-long loan. He signed permanently ahead of 2023 but found game time in the top-flight limited, and eventually dropped back into the Championship. At the end of last season, Barrow released him and he has not found a club since.
Tom Amone
Amone was another of Leigh’s try-scorers four years ago at Odsal. Departing at the end of 2024 for the NRL, his time at Canterbury Bulldogs was not successful, and midway through 2025, he returned to Super League. Spending half a season on loan at Castleford, he then joined Hull KR on a permanent deal come the start of this season.
Joe Wardle
Joe Wardle in action for Leigh Centurions in 2022
Wardle’s two-year stint at Leigh came to an end in 2023, when the Scotland international dropped into League 1 to link up with Oldham as a player-assistant. Having helped the Roughyeds to promotion, he then hung up his boots to focus solely on his assistant role for 2025 in the Championship, and then departed Boundary Park at the end of last season.
Sam Stone
Elsewhere in Super League, Stone is plying his trade for Warrington having joined the Wolves from Salford midway through last season. A two-time Malta international, he linked up with Leigh in 2021 and departed at the end of this promotion-winning campaign having played 38 times in their colours, scoring 14 tries in the process.
John Asiata
Soon-to-be Leigh captain Asiata scored two tries in this win at Odsal, an impressive feat given his tally of then in 76 appearances across all competitions for the club prior to departing for Hull FC at the end of 2024. Another of the Leopards’ Challenge Cup winners, the former Tonga and Samoa international remains with Hull today.
James McDonnell (Interchange)
McDonnell scored six tries in 17 loan appearances for Leigh in 2022, then still a Wigan player. He joined Leeds ahead of the following campaign and remains at Headingley today having played 93 times for the Rhinos to date. Come the end of the season though, he will depart for the NRL having penned a deal to join new franchise Perth Bears.
Kai O’Donnell (Interchange)
Australian ace O’Donnell came off the bench to score two tries at Odsal, and by the time he departed Leigh at the end of 2024, he’d grabbed 31 in 77 appearances across all competitions. The back-rower’s impressive performances in Super League earned him an NRL return with North Queensland Cowboys, where he remains today.
Edwin Ipape (Interchange)
Edwin Ipape applauds the Leigh Leopards supporters following a game in 2026
The only member of the Leigh squad from four years ago at Odsal that remains with the club today is livewire hooker Ipape. The Papua New Guinean scored a try here, and now has 47 in 113 appearances in Leopards colours. The King of Leigh is under lock and key until the end of 2031 having penned the longest contract in the club’s history early on last year.
Ben Nakubuwai (Interchange)
Fiji international Nakubuwai joined Leigh in 2022, and did not officially depart until March 2025, though his 44th and final appearance in their colours had come some 11 months prior. After a loan in the Championship at Featherstone, the front-rower eventually returned Down Under, joining Queensland Cup side Norths Devils
Head coach: Adrian Lam
Leigh head coach Adrian Lam celebrates their 1895 Cup triumph at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2022
Papua New Guinean Lam took charge of Leigh ahead of 2022 and delivered instant success with a treble-winning campaign securing a return to Super League. Since then, the upward trajectory has continued with three consecutive play-off finishes alongside the Challenge Cup triumph in 2023. His contract is set to expire at the end of 2027.
Bradford’s side from last clash against Leigh
Starting 13: Elliot Kear, David Foggin-Johnston, Aaron Murphy, Kieran Gill, Ryan Millar, Dec Patton, Jordan Lilley, Ebon Scurr, Thomas Doyle, Steve Crossley, Samy Kibula, AJ Wallace, Sam Hallas
Bench: George Flanagan, Jordan Baldwinson, Ant Walker, Joe Burton
Head coach: Mark Dunning
Try: Gill
Goal: Patton
