Lisa Dootson enjoyed an unforgettable evening at the Leigh Leopards 2026 Awards Presentation after winning the random draw to present the Gold Membership Player of the Year award.
As part of the voting process, every member across all six Leigh Leopards membership tiers who voted for their Player of the Year was entered into a random draw to present the award for their respective membership tier. Lisa was the lucky Gold Member selected from the Gold Tier and was given the opportunity to present the Gold Membership Player of the Year award on the night.
Lisa brought her son, Jaxton, along as her guest — and for the young Leigh supporter, it turned into an evening he will never forget.
A passionate rugby player himself, Jaxton plays for Leigh East and looks up to the Leigh Leopards players he was given the opportunity to meet throughout the evening.
Here, Lisa shares her account of Jaxton’s unforgettable night.
Jaxton’s unforgettable night at the Leigh Leopards Awards
After school, I surprised Jaxton with some very exciting news — we had been invited to the Leigh Leopards 2026 Awards Presentation.
When I told him, he was completely overwhelmed with excitement and burst into tears. He couldn’t believe that he was going to be spending an evening with the players he looks up to so much.
As we arrived at the event, we could see all the players walking in front of us. Jaxton immediately said, “Look Mum, the players are all there! I can’t wait to get their signatures and some photos.”
From the moment we arrived, everyone was so welcoming. People were coming over, shaking Jaxton’s hand and making him feel really special.
Once we got to our seats, Jaxton couldn’t wait to get started. He was soon making his way around the room, meeting the players, getting their autographs and having photographs taken with them. He was absolutely beaming with happiness.
One of the special moments was when Joffa came over and asked Jaxton if he was okay and whether he played rugby. Jaxton proudly told him that he plays for Leigh East. Joffa then asked what position he played, and when Jaxton told him he was a prop, Joffa said, “You might become a professional one day like us lot.”
Those words really meant a lot to Jaxton. He said afterwards that Joffa made him feel really happy and, more importantly, more confident about himself and his rugby.
Hanley also stopped to speak to Jaxton and asked him if he was okay and which shirt he had brought to get signed. Jaxton proudly showed him his 2023 Magic Weekend shirt.
Another lovely moment was when Robbie Mulhern gave Jaxton a high five and asked, “Are you okay, mate?” Jaxton had a photo with Robbie, who then told him, “Have a good night, Jaxton, and I’ll see you later, mate.”
Then came the part of the evening that Jaxton had been looking forward to — being called up onto the stage to present the award.
I had voted for Hanley for the Gold Membership Player of the Year, so when Jaxton was called up to present the trophy, he was both incredibly excited and very nervous. He told me that he felt really nervous at first, but as soon as he was up on stage with me and Joffa, he settled down and felt so happy and lucky to be part of such a special moment.
After they came off stage, Derek Beaumont gave Jaxton a high five and told him, “Well done, you did good out there on the stage.”
Jaxton’s face was absolutely beaming.
Although he loved every minute of the evening, when I asked him what his favourite part was, he said it was going up on stage to give Joffa his trophy, as well as getting to meet all the players, collect their autographs and have photographs with them. He especially loved how kind and welcoming everyone was towards him.
At the end of the night, Jaxton summed up the whole experience perfectly:
“Tonight’s been the best night ever, Mum, and I feel so lucky. I will remember this forever.”
