15 July 2023 , 16:00
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Anyone watching Edwin Ipape for Leigh this season would say he’s already poetry in motion but he has every intention of penning more storylines.
The explosive Papuan New Guinea hooker, 24, has been outstanding for Super League’s surprise package who will move to within two points of top spot if they win again at Salford on Sunday. Leigh have been a revelation since earning promotion from the Championship, not only making relegation talk laughable but also moving to within 80 minutes of Wembley with Saturday’s semi-final against St Helens looming. There’s been plenty of reasons for their success, from the expert leadership of boss Adrian Lam and his dynamic son Lachlan dictating from stand-off to key acquisitions such as John Asiata, Zak Hardaker and Ricky Leutele.
But everything starts with Ipape, the brilliant No9 plucked from Queensland Cup side PNG Hunters 18 months ago who’s become a Super League star. He recalled: “When I arrived here last year, once we’d gone up, people were talking about Leigh being relegated and all that sort of stuff. But I didn’t really buy into that.
"My time would come where I’d have a chance at the top level and just to get the opportunity to come play Super League, I never had any doubts in my head about us this year. I never thought we’d struggle because knowing Lammy as a coach, he’s a competitor and winner. We only had ten of last season’s side coming into this year but with the boys Lammy and Chris Chester signed I knew we’d be competitive. Just to see how well it has gone this year, it is a surreal feeling to be part of this journey and this history.”
Some doubters thought Leigh could still be awaiting their first win in July. But instead they already have a dozen victories to their name and now Ipape, who played against England in last year’s World Cup quarter-final, feels they have to be considered as serious contenders for silverware. He said: “This is where we want to be and me personally.
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“You play in competitions to play in big games and those are the moments which will be remembered forever: Grand Finals and Challenge Cup finals. I want to write my own story here; that’s where my own motivation comes from. I have come a long way and still have a long way to go but I’d love to win the Challenge Cup or a Super League Grand Final and just add more onto my story.”
Leigh's Edwin Ipape, right, celebrates scoring at Magic Weekend with Ricky Leutele (Anna Gowthorpe/REX/Shutterstock)Salford were also viewed as contenders early on but they have fallen off the pace losing three matches on the bounce. However, Ipape, who has bust more than 60 tackles in Super League this term, insisted: “Salford are a good attacking team. They have beaten us twice this year so we owe them one. We have to go Sunday with the right attitude to put on our best performance.
“Everything is going well for us and I’m so proud to be in this position. We’ve eight more games in our regular season. We’ve been pretty good for the last eight or nine weeks but we’re not quite there yet with our performances. There’s definitely room for improvement every week. Whenever we get a chance to do some video or out on the field to get better, we take that chance. That’s been important for our growth this year. Hopefully we can put our performance together in those big games.”
Meanwhile, Ipape, under contract until the end of 2025, has shot down speculation his eye-catching displays mean he could soon be on the move. NRL club St George Illawarra have reportedly shown an interest. Ipape said: “I know there’s talks I might go to other clubs but I’m happy I am where I am today. If it wasn’t for Leigh I wouldn’t be who I am today and I am very aware of that. So, to be in this position, and to just walk away from this club, I don’t think that would happen. I’m more happy and settled here and my family are happy so I’m definitely going to stay here.”