Assessing Leigh Leopards' halfback options as recruitment opportunities emerge

Matt Moylan has left Leigh Leopards and with that, it appears that the Super League outfit are likely to be chasing a new halfback for the 2025 season. The Australian opted to retire after one season in the UK, with his decision leaving Adrian Lam needing to make further recruitment moves before the start of the season.

With David Armstrong arriving and set to play at fullback, a half appears to be Leigh's most likely area of focus, and Moylan's exit means they'll take a look at the NRL market. That's welcome news, as the list of halfbacks available in Super League appears thin at present. That said, one of the club's existing overseas players would need to depart. Moylan's departure frees up a quota spot, but Ben Nakubuwai has reurned from a loan spell with Featherstone Rovers.

That said, there's hardly more than a smattering of options available to go at from overseas either. It's the wrong time of the year to be trying to recruit, especially when it comes to playmakers. There are, all that said, some options to look at, with some halfbacks overseas still without a contract for the 2025 season.

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Of those, the most well-known and experienced is Anthony Milford . The Samoa international was once one of the NRL's leading lights but he has struggled to retain that top form in recent years. He has been offered to Super League clubs, but Leigh don't appear to have jumped at this point.

If Leigh don't fancy that, looking at younger players might have to be their next port of call. Jesse Marschke and Zach Dockar-Clay are available but haven't made enough NRL appearances to be granted Governing Body Endorsements.

As such, they may have to look at utilising the recent ruling that allows younger talent playing in Queensland Cup and New South Wales Cup to make the move across.

There are some promising players who would fit that criteria, with the most notable perhaps being Tom Weaver . The Gold Coast Titans halfback has had a taste of the NRL but played more regularly in Queensland Cup for Tweed Seagulls. Weaver certainly fits Leigh's recruitment model of signing overseas talent with good reputations and developing them. The other is Melbourne's Jonah Pezet , who has also shown off his potential, though his season was ended prematurely following an ACL injury.

Beyond that, there doesn't appear to be many options for Leigh, unless they can secure a player who is already contracted. Ben Hunt's departure from St George Illawarra Dragons does provide the possibility of a shake-up that could see players fall out of other clubs.

South Sydney Rabbitohs' Lachlan Ilias has fallen out of favour but has emerged as a potential option for St George in their pursuit of a replacement for Hunt, though most recent reports have linked the Dragons with Cronulla's Daniel Atkinson.

Leigh could take an alternative route and not sign a halfback at all. They do have Gareth O'Brien who has proven himself more than capable and they have a young halfback of their own in Ben McNamara. It's hard to see the Leopards not moving to fill their quota spot, and perhaps another middle could be a desirable move if the right halfback doesn't come up. Could Nakubuwai stay?

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