This statement has just been released on the Newcastle Knights website


“The nib Newcastle Knights have decided they will not stand in the way of David Armstrong accepting an offer to join the Leigh Leopards at the end of the 2024 season.
Armstrong will play for the Knights for the remainder of the year, and we look forward to David continuing his strong form for the Club.”
I honestly thought this was a dead duck deal with the way he has gone for them this season so far.
Well done the club if this is confirmed at our end

I hope the club will release the news of his signing now. Every other club is announcing for next year already, so why not us?

Confirmed on club website.

https://leighleopards.co.uk/david-armst ... from-2025/

https://leighleopards.co.uk/david-armst ... from-2025/

This signing could be very interesting indeed.

Well done Chester for getting this over the line. I only hope there isn't an NRL clause in the deal which sees him unsettled this time next year.

Now, just need positions 3,5,8,11 and 13 sorting out!

I can see this happening unfortunately.

C'mon Doc, show a little bit of enthusiasm, and look forward to him putting on that Leopard shirt. It's an absolute brilliant, exciting signing. We should remember that players come and go, so let's enjoy the ride for how long it last.

The only time we need to even start to worry about the ‘what if’ NRL scenario, is if he rips it up next season. If we only sign overseas players who nobody else would ever want, we are signing the wrong players.
How anyone can see this signing as a negative baffles me.
He has the speed, size and eye for a gap that could see him at fullback, wing or even .
I for one cannot wait to see this guy in a Leopards shirt.

Im very happy we have signed him , he looks world class and origin quality . I just don't see a player of that calibre hanging around in super league . I suppose it depends on your outlook , do we want a team full of overseas players or do we need an academy capable of producing homegrowns who will stay with the club and build a team that can compete for 5-10 years or do we want that instant success where we might pick up a trophy but be at threat of relegation a few years later ? There might be no good solution to this as most super league have the mercenary approach.

But its a great signing and will be unreal to see him in a leigh top .

Surely the answer is quite simple.

We need quality overseas signings mixed in, eventually, with homegrown talent that comes through our academy.

The two are not mutually exclusive.

I believe the best plan is to have both.
Success now, with a quality team that can challenge and compete with the best, and to do that we need quality overseas signings,
AND success in the future when we will begin to see the academy pay dividends.
Quality now ensures larger crowds, larger merchandise sales and very importantly strong corporate sponsorship. That in turn helps our bottom line financing (for IMG ratings in the short term) and the future for a strongly financially supported academy.

Definitely fullback. He has the speed to back up any half break and score and his link up play from fullback will be immense.

I certainly prefer us being a feeder team of NRL stars back to Australia than local talent going off to wire, saints or wigan

Certain players can create a buzz and spark more interest in the casual fan so Armstrong shouldn't be just a positive for what he can bring on the pitch

I agree , but we can already see how unsettling it is to be losing players we have made NRL ready, Asiata to hull and also Lam attracting other clubs , this is always going to be a problem in SL , but with more homegrowns I see people playing more for the shirt rather than the contract .

The few home-growns that are potentially SL standard will not ripen for a few seasons. It's great that the RFL have finally granted a license but the fruit cannot be harvested straightaway. We need these box-office signings for now, not only to maintain our status as an established top flight club but, thereby, to prevent promising colts from being lured elsewhere.

The Academy is crucial because it puts us in the mix.

Up to now homegrown talent have not had a choice to come to the club to start their development. They have had to chose other club's academies. Now with our own academy we can fight for that talent in the hope of retaining homegrown players.

I will add, of course, that there is absolutely no guarantee that a Leigh lad who is the next star in the making will chose our club over one of our close rivals. We all need to be realistic here but at least now they have a choice.

The existence of our own academy at last now puts us in with a good shout of retaining, at least for a while, that homegrown goldmine of young talent.

can anyone tell us say in last 20 years how many leigh born lads have gone on to play international rl at senior level

The following players who were born within 5 miles of Leigh Sports Village have played for the England International rugby league team in the last 25 years. I used 25 years so I could include Paul Rowley.
Oliver Gildart, Dom Manfredi, Andy Ackers, Tom Makinson, Ben Currie, Chris Hill, born Wigan (included because he progressed through Leigh's service area and youth ranks) Danny Tickle, Rob Parker, Paul Rowley and Steve Blakeley,
Mickey Higham was born in Billinge.

thanks.i count 5 who would llikely willingly identify themselves as leythers repeated would that be a good return on investment
been interesting debate over the years

With the facilities at LSV and the potential to compete for a future academy trained Marquee contract, Leigh Leopards will have the opportunity to attract academy recruits from further afield including some of the most outstanding talent.