Leigh Leopards will host a severely injury-hit Hull FC squad at Leigh Sports Village on Friday, May 22, 2026, in a Betfred Super League fixture with playoff implications for both sides.
The match comes after Leigh suffered a narrow 20-16 defeat to Hull KR on May 16, a result that extended Hull KR's winning streak to eight games and left Leigh in seventh place.
In that contest, Hull KR scored tries through Peta Hiku, Tom Davies, and Arthur Mourgue, with Rhyse Martin adding four goals, despite Mikey Lewis being temporarily sin-binned.
Leigh mounted a second-half comeback with tries from Jacob Alick-Wiencke, Josh Charnley, and Jack Hughes, but a late tackle by Joe Burgess on Lachlan Lam sealed the win for the visitors.
Lam Urges Focus on Current Season
Leigh head coach Adrian Lam has warned his players not to be distracted by the club's confirmed 2027 trip to Las Vegas to face the Bradford Bulls.
"There's a lot of hard work to do yet (before thinking about Vegas)," Lam said, emphasizing that the team sits four points outside the top six playoff spots with three games remaining before the season's halfway mark.
"We're four points outside of the (top) six and while we didn't win, we played well at the weekend, it was a step up for us," Lam added.
"There's three games before the halfway mark in the season and we feel if we can get those three wins, it'll put us in a position to go hard in the second half of the season to get into the (top) six."
Lam noted that several injured players are expected to return over the coming weeks, boosting squad depth. "From there, we're capable of doing anything.
We've got players coming back over the next couple of weeks, almost everyone should be back in contention," he said.
Friday's match is Leigh's last home game before temporary displacement while the pitch at Leigh Sports Village undergoes maintenance.
Lam stressed the importance of balancing the commercial excitement of the Las Vegas event with the immediate need for competition points.
"We do as good a job as anyone in the competition (of handling occasions), and we're going to be going there to win, no doubt about that," Lam said.
"We'll take some lessons from other people and I'll speak to as many as I can to make sure we're prepared."
Hull FC Fielding Depleted Squad
Hull FC enters the match in a dire situation, missing 15 players due to injuries and suspensions, including Will Pryce, Jed Cartwright, John Asiata, and the suspended Yusuf Aydin.
Interim coach Simon Last has made seven changes to the squad that faced Bradford last weekend, introducing academy products Ben Johnson and Lennon Clark for potential first-team debuts.
"Lots of energy, lots of enthusiasm.
If they get the opportunity to make their debut, it'll be a special occasion for them," Last said.
He added that promoting local academy players who grew up supporting the club helps galvanize the senior members during the injury crisis.
"They are big Black and White fans, and their families are big Black and White fans, and they've earned their opportunity.
They have come through the system and they will be very grateful to the Hull Wyke club for helping them on this journey," Last said.
The selection changes mean veteran winger Tom Briscoe will play his 200th game for Hull FC.
Winger Harvey Barron is also set for his second game back from injury, aiming to regain his best form.
"I just want to get back playing consistently and playing to a good standard.
I thought the back end of last year was probably some of the best rugby I've been playing.
I'm just hoping to get back to that standard and help contribute to the team," Barron said.
Veteran forward Herman Ese'ese remains sidelined as the coaching staff avoid rushing him back from a severe Achilles injury.
