MATCH REPORT | Warrington Wolves | Pre Season Friendly

February 1, 2025

MATCH REPORT | Warrington Wolves | Pre Season Friendly

Toby King Testimonial

Saturday 1 February 2025 (5:30pm)

Halliwell Jones Stadium

Warrington Wolves 12-20 Leigh Leopards

Head coaches are always quick to play down the importance of the result of warmup games, preferring to analyse the performance, but Adrian Lam could scarcely have been more pleased after his new-look Leopards got their season off to a highly impressive start.

Winning is a lovely habit to get into and Leopards finished strongly to seal a well-deserved success with three tries in the final 13 minutes of Toby King’s testimonial.

All ten of Leopards’ close season signings made their first appearance while Bailey Hodgson, a mid-season signing last year, also got his first first team start as 27 Leopards put the rigours of pre-season behind them to get in valuable game time ahead of the start of the Challenge Cup campaign next Friday.

New signings, especially those from overseas, are all told about the loud and passionate Leigh support, and after weeks of preparation they got to see and hear the Leopards Roar.

A huge travelling army of Leythers packed the West Stand and made this a game full of atmosphere and intensity, far removed from some insipid warmup games of the recent past.

Seeing is believing and the likes of Isaac Liu, Tesi Niu, Ethan O’Neill, David Armstrong and Alec Tuitavake are now prepared for what it’s like to step out in front of the North Stand at the Leopards Den. They can’t wait.

Leopards’ class of 2025 looks lean, fit, slick and hungry for the season and their first half display was as good as it gets at this stage of the year. Superb, committed defence, great teamwork and flashes of the exciting attacking play that has become the Leopards brand.

The teams went in all square at the break, Matty Ashton’s smart try in the corner cancelling out Hodgson’s opener for the Leopards. Hodgson, hugely impressive throughout, came up with a devastating close-range finish by the flag from Niu’s assist.

Jake Thewlis broke the second half deadlock as Wolves outflanked the Leopards defence for a second time, Oli Leyland’s second goal giving the hosts a 12-6 lead.

But that merely served to intensify the Leopards’ resolve and in the closing stages they cut loose. Tries by Andrew Badrock, Keanan Brand and Nathan Wilde had the Leopards army in fine voice to signify a season of high hopes, after what seemed a long winter, is underway with a flying start.

Wolves:

Matt Dufty; Alfie Johnson, Rodrick Tai, Toby King, Matty Ashton; George Williams, Oli Leyland; Paul Vaughan, Danny Walker, Luke Yates, Adam Holroyd, Dan Russell, Ben Currie

Bench:

Joe Philbin, Zane Musgrove, Jordy Crowther, Tom Whitehead, Cai Taylor-Wray; Max Green, Lucas Green, Luke Thomas, Jake Thewlis, Zac Bardsley-Rowe, Nolan Tupaea, Ben Hartill, Joe Hickey

Tries:

Ashton (14), Thewlis (59)

Goals:

Leyland 2/ 2

Leopards:

1 David Armstrong: 18 Keanan Brand, 4 Umyla Hanley, 3 Tesi Niu, 24 Bailey Hodgson; 6 Gareth O’Brien, 7 Lachlan Lam; 8 Owen Trout, 16 Matt Davis, 14 Aaron Pene, 20 Ethan O’Neill, 11 Frankie Halton, 13 Isaac Liu

Bench:

12 Jack Hughes, 15 Alec Tuitavake, 26 Kavan Rothwell, 17 Brad Dwyer, 19 Louis Brogan, 28 Brad Martin, 21 Andrew Badrock, 22 Ben McNamara, 23 Nathan Wilde, 31 Will Brough, 29 AJ Towse, 30 Ryan Brown

Tries: Hodgson (4), Badrock (67), Brand (72), Wilde (77)

Goals:

O’Brien 1/ 1, McNamara 1/3

Scoring sequence: 0-6, 6-6 (ht) 12-6, 12-10, 12-14, 12-20

Attendance: 6,984

Referee: Marcus Griffiths

Touch-judges: Tara Jones & Warren Turlee

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