Leigh Leopards have completed a major piece of retention business for the 2026 season and beyond: with hooker Edwin Ipape agreeing an historic six-year contract extension.
Ipape has developed into one of the Leopards‘ most important players since joining the club, as well as becoming one of the standout hookers in Super League.
https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/le ... -year-deal
Leigh Leopards land major retention boost as Papua New Guinea star agrees SIX-year deal
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josie andrews
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Leigh Leopards land major retention boost as Papua New Guinea star agrees SIX-year deal
Anyone can support a team when it is winning, that takes no courage.
But to stand behind a team, to defend a team when it is down and really needs you,
that takes a lot of courage. #18thMan
But to stand behind a team, to defend a team when it is down and really needs you,
that takes a lot of courage. #18thMan
-
josie andrews
- Posts: 38427
- Joined: Sun Jun 10, 2007 10:17 pm
- Location: Wigan
- Contact:
Re: Leigh Leopards land major retention boost as Papua New Guinea star agrees SIX-year deal
I thought he was older than 26!
Anyone can support a team when it is winning, that takes no courage.
But to stand behind a team, to defend a team when it is down and really needs you,
that takes a lot of courage. #18thMan
But to stand behind a team, to defend a team when it is down and really needs you,
that takes a lot of courage. #18thMan
-
josie andrews
- Posts: 38427
- Joined: Sun Jun 10, 2007 10:17 pm
- Location: Wigan
- Contact:
Re: Leigh Leopards land major retention boost as Papua New Guinea star agrees SIX-year deal
EDWIN IPAPE SIGNS CONTRACT EXTENSION
Leigh Leopards are delighted to announce that Edwin Ipape has agreed a six-year extension to his contract, committing himself to the club until the end of the 2031 season.
Ipape, the hugely talented and popular 26-year-old PNG international hooker, made his club debut three years ago and has been a highly influential figure ever since.
Leigh Leopards owner Derek Beaumont gave the background to the contract negotiations and paid tribute to the contributions of Head of Rugby Chris Chester, Head Coach Adrian Lam and CEO Neil Jukes.
Mr Beaumont said: “I spoke to Edwin when I was over in Spain at Christmas, and he was in his home nation PNG with family. There was serious NRL interest and of course it needed to be discussed. Edwin fully understood my commitment to the club, team and town and how he was a pivotal part of that and one I would not like to lose to anyone at the end of a contract and not for any kind of fee during it.
“Edwin knows how important he is to the team and how respected he is in the town, and we agreed to talk about his future plans and what’s in his best interests in Lanzarote. Edwin has always had a great respect for me, and I treat him like I do all players how I would want my own son to be treated.
“I gave him an honest heads up of what I would do in his shoes, not from the perspective of the owner of Leigh. He had already thought deep in his time at home and further from our discussion on the phone and I was absolutely buzzing when he said to me ‘I don’t want to play rugby for anyone else. I want to be a one-man Super League club. I trust you and want to achieve everything in my career with Leigh. I want to finish my days in Leigh and find a role in the club after rugby and set my family up and their lives and futures in the town’.
“That was music to my ears and the important part. Edwin already knew how much we valued him contractually and it is fully deserving for his qualities as a person and player to get the biggest deal the club has ever done. He is a player that will keep working hard and improving and that work ethic has set himself and his family up nicely for the future.
“I can’t wait to see the reaction to this as I know how much our fans love him. It’s a statement of intent for our club and from Edwin with his commitment. There are no exit clauses, they were never asked for. Edwin is a Leyther through and through and that’s testament to our fans and the atmosphere and respect they create.
“I hope they are all as proud as I am with this news, and I would like to thank Adrian and Chris for their very important roles in all of this and Neil for his discussions and relationship with Edwin. What a day to be a Leyther!”
Reflecting on the longest playing contract ever handed out by the club Leopards Head of Rugby Chris Chester said:
“I’d like to thank Derek for his continued investment in our club which secured such a fantastic player for the prime years of his playing career. Edwin has been an unbelievable signing ever since he arrived and on his debut on a bitterly cold day at York we knew he had something special to offer.
“His progress as a player since has been unbelievable and for him to commit for such a long time is a massive boost for the club and town.
“Edwin is idolised by many people in the town and the welcome that he and his family received when they first arrived has been a big factor in him making this decision.
“We spoke to him at the end of last season about extending his contract. Edwin is a deep thinker, and he wanted to go home to PNG and decide in his head that it was the right thing to do.
“He is loved by the playing group, the staff and the town and that love was a big overriding reason for him committing to Leigh Leopards.
“His relationship with Derek, Adrian and myself is another big factor. We care about all our players and when Edwin came over here initially, he was on his own for some time before his family arrived. He even missed the birth of his second child such was his commitment to the team.
“That has now been rewarded with the contract that secures his future and will make him eligible for a testimonial when the contract finishes. For an overseas player to go into that kind of territory is unbelievable and for Edwin to have committed ten years to the club is a fantastic show of faith and loyalty towards Leigh Leopards.
“I’m really proud for Edwin and it’s a great story and a huge statement by our club.”
Edwin Ipape said: “I’m just thankful for the faith that Derek, Lamy and Chesy and the club have put in me. Six years is the longest contract the club has ever given out so I’m stoked about that.
“Now I have a massive task to fulfil that faith. I think everything will stay the same, the motivation I have to get better and the expectation for the club to continue to improve. I’ll be going all out to get better and feel there is a lot of improvement I can make to become a better player.
“I love the fans, the club and the town. Everyone has been great to me and my family since we arrived. The fans love the players who come to represent them, and I love to interact with them. The support they give us gives the players that extra boost.
“This is massive for me and my family. It gives us stability and I can’t wait to see what the next six years bring. Leigh Leopards are massive, and we are putting on a show.”
Ipape, who hails from Mount Hagen in PNG, played for PNG Hunters and had trials with Manly Sea Eagles before joining Leigh. He won the Ray French Award as player of the match in the AB Sundecks 1895 Cup Final victory over Featherstone Rovers within a few months of arriving in England.
He played an outstanding role in the record breaking 2022 season that culminated in promotion to Super League and then starred for PNG in the World Cup, earning selection in the Team of the Tournament.
In the past two seasons Ipape had been an instrumental figure in the Leopards securing back-to-back play-off places and in winning the Challenge Cup for the first time in 52 years in 2023. He was also chosen in the Super League Dream Team at the end of that season.
He began the current season by being part of the first Leigh team to win at Wigan for nearly 42 years, making the precision dummy half pass that set up Gareth O’Brien for his match-winning golden point extra-time drop goal.
https://leighleopards.co.uk/edwin-ipape ... extension/
Leigh Leopards are delighted to announce that Edwin Ipape has agreed a six-year extension to his contract, committing himself to the club until the end of the 2031 season.
Ipape, the hugely talented and popular 26-year-old PNG international hooker, made his club debut three years ago and has been a highly influential figure ever since.
Leigh Leopards owner Derek Beaumont gave the background to the contract negotiations and paid tribute to the contributions of Head of Rugby Chris Chester, Head Coach Adrian Lam and CEO Neil Jukes.
Mr Beaumont said: “I spoke to Edwin when I was over in Spain at Christmas, and he was in his home nation PNG with family. There was serious NRL interest and of course it needed to be discussed. Edwin fully understood my commitment to the club, team and town and how he was a pivotal part of that and one I would not like to lose to anyone at the end of a contract and not for any kind of fee during it.
“Edwin knows how important he is to the team and how respected he is in the town, and we agreed to talk about his future plans and what’s in his best interests in Lanzarote. Edwin has always had a great respect for me, and I treat him like I do all players how I would want my own son to be treated.
“I gave him an honest heads up of what I would do in his shoes, not from the perspective of the owner of Leigh. He had already thought deep in his time at home and further from our discussion on the phone and I was absolutely buzzing when he said to me ‘I don’t want to play rugby for anyone else. I want to be a one-man Super League club. I trust you and want to achieve everything in my career with Leigh. I want to finish my days in Leigh and find a role in the club after rugby and set my family up and their lives and futures in the town’.
“That was music to my ears and the important part. Edwin already knew how much we valued him contractually and it is fully deserving for his qualities as a person and player to get the biggest deal the club has ever done. He is a player that will keep working hard and improving and that work ethic has set himself and his family up nicely for the future.
“I can’t wait to see the reaction to this as I know how much our fans love him. It’s a statement of intent for our club and from Edwin with his commitment. There are no exit clauses, they were never asked for. Edwin is a Leyther through and through and that’s testament to our fans and the atmosphere and respect they create.
“I hope they are all as proud as I am with this news, and I would like to thank Adrian and Chris for their very important roles in all of this and Neil for his discussions and relationship with Edwin. What a day to be a Leyther!”
Reflecting on the longest playing contract ever handed out by the club Leopards Head of Rugby Chris Chester said:
“I’d like to thank Derek for his continued investment in our club which secured such a fantastic player for the prime years of his playing career. Edwin has been an unbelievable signing ever since he arrived and on his debut on a bitterly cold day at York we knew he had something special to offer.
“His progress as a player since has been unbelievable and for him to commit for such a long time is a massive boost for the club and town.
“Edwin is idolised by many people in the town and the welcome that he and his family received when they first arrived has been a big factor in him making this decision.
“We spoke to him at the end of last season about extending his contract. Edwin is a deep thinker, and he wanted to go home to PNG and decide in his head that it was the right thing to do.
“He is loved by the playing group, the staff and the town and that love was a big overriding reason for him committing to Leigh Leopards.
“His relationship with Derek, Adrian and myself is another big factor. We care about all our players and when Edwin came over here initially, he was on his own for some time before his family arrived. He even missed the birth of his second child such was his commitment to the team.
“That has now been rewarded with the contract that secures his future and will make him eligible for a testimonial when the contract finishes. For an overseas player to go into that kind of territory is unbelievable and for Edwin to have committed ten years to the club is a fantastic show of faith and loyalty towards Leigh Leopards.
“I’m really proud for Edwin and it’s a great story and a huge statement by our club.”
Edwin Ipape said: “I’m just thankful for the faith that Derek, Lamy and Chesy and the club have put in me. Six years is the longest contract the club has ever given out so I’m stoked about that.
“Now I have a massive task to fulfil that faith. I think everything will stay the same, the motivation I have to get better and the expectation for the club to continue to improve. I’ll be going all out to get better and feel there is a lot of improvement I can make to become a better player.
“I love the fans, the club and the town. Everyone has been great to me and my family since we arrived. The fans love the players who come to represent them, and I love to interact with them. The support they give us gives the players that extra boost.
“This is massive for me and my family. It gives us stability and I can’t wait to see what the next six years bring. Leigh Leopards are massive, and we are putting on a show.”
Ipape, who hails from Mount Hagen in PNG, played for PNG Hunters and had trials with Manly Sea Eagles before joining Leigh. He won the Ray French Award as player of the match in the AB Sundecks 1895 Cup Final victory over Featherstone Rovers within a few months of arriving in England.
He played an outstanding role in the record breaking 2022 season that culminated in promotion to Super League and then starred for PNG in the World Cup, earning selection in the Team of the Tournament.
In the past two seasons Ipape had been an instrumental figure in the Leopards securing back-to-back play-off places and in winning the Challenge Cup for the first time in 52 years in 2023. He was also chosen in the Super League Dream Team at the end of that season.
He began the current season by being part of the first Leigh team to win at Wigan for nearly 42 years, making the precision dummy half pass that set up Gareth O’Brien for his match-winning golden point extra-time drop goal.
https://leighleopards.co.uk/edwin-ipape ... extension/
Anyone can support a team when it is winning, that takes no courage.
But to stand behind a team, to defend a team when it is down and really needs you,
that takes a lot of courage. #18thMan
But to stand behind a team, to defend a team when it is down and really needs you,
that takes a lot of courage. #18thMan
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Charriots Offiah
- Posts: 5109
- Joined: Fri Sep 18, 2020 1:14 pm
Re: Leigh Leopards land major retention boost as Papua New Guinea star agrees SIX-year deal
Great news, we need to keep good players in our competition.
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widdenoldboy
- Posts: 2290
- Joined: Thu Oct 07, 2010 10:25 pm
Re: Leigh Leopards land major retention boost as Papua New Guinea star agrees SIX-year deal
Good news for Leigh and SL.
Also very impressive v Giants today.
Also very impressive v Giants today.