David Armstrong has revealed why, prior to the 2025 season, he turned down offers from the NRL to join the Leigh Leopards.
Armstrong, a full-back who agreed to leave Newcastle Knights and sign a three-year contract with the Leopards, was Leigh’s first announcement before to this season.
The 23-year-old scored five tries in five NRL games for the Knights last season, making this signing a big coup for a club. The Australian had his debut appearance in the McDonald Jones Stadium first team last season, and although he did play a few games, he was far below Kayln Ponga in Adam O’Brien’s hierarchy.
Going into this season, that was not likely to alter, and although he had other options, he believed that joining the Super League would give him the best chance to advance and make his playing debut.
Armstrong told the Leigh Journal, “I knew deep down that coming over here was the right decision, even though it was a big one. It was that or wait behind Kalyn at the Knights.”
“I would have been waiting for an injury or something similar to get game time in first grade.” I therefore reasoned that playing top league football every week would be preferable to playing reserve football.
Even though I had other offers, this one would have been for a backup position. It’s much easier for me to play first grade here, even though I know I still have to strive for that slot.
Since coming to England in November, Armstrong has been practicing with the Leopards. On February 13, when Adrian Lam’s team kicks off the Super League season against Wigan Warriors, he hopes to be able to make an immediate impression with his new team. Isaac Liu, Tesi Niu, Ryan Brown, Andrew Badrock, Alec Tuitavake, Ethan O’Neill, Will Brough, Brad Martin, and AJ Towse are among the ten newcomers to the Leigh Sports Village.
