Lazarus Vaalepu aims to rise to the occasion when he pulls on his Leopards’ shirt for the first time. The 27-year-old prop’s appetite for a Super League debut was significantly whetted. This occurred following Leigh’s recent Magic Weekend win over Warrington. The match took place at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium. Vaalepu’s potential debut is scheduled for Saturday, possibly against Castleford at Leigh Sports Village. Now, the former Melbourne Storm Grand Finalist is keen to play his part. He hopes to contribute to the rejuvenated Leopards’ push for the best possible end of regular season ranking.
The Samoan international star Vaalepu touched down last Friday. He joined his new teammates on the banks of the Mersey just 24 hours later. There, he witnessed Leigh’s impressive 24-6 success over second placed Wire. This performance left a strong impression on the newly arrived player.
Vaalepu’s Readiness and Team Ambition
“I am available,” confirmed the 27-year-old prop. Vaalepu added, “I am just trying to get over jet lag but everything else is pretty good.” He stated his current condition, saying, “I am pretty much fit and happy to be up for selection.” However, he acknowledged, “that’s down to Lammy (head coach Adrian Lam).” If he does get to play, Vaalepu expressed his clear intention to “be keen and put my best foot forward for the team and the boys.”
Vaalepu described the Magic Weekend performance as a “top tier performance.” He also relayed what he heard from his new colleagues: “They said it was probably the best one this season.” This observation made him keen to join in. Vaalepu is eager to “add what I can bring to the team.” He explicitly stated what he believes he offers: “And what I can bring is a big body, powerful running and hard work and effort in defence.”
During his first engagement with the squad, Vaalepu got a chance to be in the changing rooms. He watched their warm up routines. He also met the boys properly and observed how they do their prep. The atmosphere surrounding the event was also a highlight, with Vaalepu remarking, “The crowd and atmosphere were mad.”
The move to Leigh Leopards caught Vaalepu a little by surprise. He has signed an 18-month deal with the club. He called the process “a quick one.” Vaalepu revealed he had been trying to find another (NRL) club to go to before the Leigh opportunity arose. He noted that Leigh were the keenest club, adding, “They showed how much they wanted to be part of the club.”
Despite the keen interest from Leigh, Vaalepu did not anticipate the move so soon. He admitted, “I didn’t think I would be here so soon.” He confessed his prior intentions, stating, “If I am honest, I wasn’t thinking of coming over here for another few years. I still wanted to be in the NRL.” However, when the transfer happened, he decided to “take it as a leap of faith to set myself up on the top stage again.”
Record-Breaking Magic Weekend
Leigh fans contributed significantly to a record-breaking Magic Weekend. A total of 82,925 supporters watched the seven games across the event. This total included 5,483 spectators who attended the match at Castres, where Toulouse Olympique overwhelmed Catalans Dragons. This attendance figure broke a previous best record for the event.
The former record stood at 68,276 supporters. This previous best was set at Newcastle’s St James’ Park in 2016. It is important to note that only six matches took place at the 2016 event. As a direct result of the overall success this year, Magic will return to Hill Dickinson. The event is scheduled for May 1 and 2 in 2027.
Current League Position and Castleford Encounter
Despite the Leopards’ latest win, the team’s success was not sufficient to lift them into the top six in the Super League standings. Leigh remained in seventh position. They are currently two points behind both St Helens and Hull KR. Their upcoming opponents, Castleford, are placed ninth in the league.
The two sides previously met last month. In that encounter, Leigh ran out 24-14 winners against Castleford. For the forthcoming fixture, some former Leopards players will be absent. Liam Hood and Darnell McIntosh are unavailable through injury.
Meanwhile, former Leigh favourite Kai O’Donnell has been linked with a shock return to LSV next season. O’Donnell is currently out of contract with North Queensland Cowboys at the end of the season. He is in the process of weighing up his options for 2027, including a potential move.