David Armstrong is now just a few weeks away from a long-awaited return, and Leigh Leopards boss Adrian Lam has praised his full-back’s mentality after a journey which has included plenty of setbacks.
24-year-old Armstrong arrived at Leigh from NRL outfit Newcastle Knights ahead of the 2025 campaign, brought in as a marquee recruit and handed a three-year deal.
He provided glimpses of the player everyone expected him to be and had started to catch the eye before being struck down with an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury.
Remarkably, he battled through that injury for three games before it came to a head in an away defeat against Leeds Rhinos last June.
Want more Love Rugby League? Add us as a preferred source on Google and ensure you never miss our exclusives and breaking news!
‘It’s probably the worst injury you can get in rugby league in the sense of rehabbing it and coming back’
The New South Wales native underwent surgery soon after, and has been on an arduous journey back to fitness since, with his return expected to come over the next few weeks.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the Leopards’ Super League clash with Toulouse Olympique this weekend, head coach Adrian Lam had plenty of praise for Armstrong.
He said: “Davey’s working hard, but there’s still a lot for him to do.
“That injury is long-term, and he’s gone through the last nine months with that.
“How good is it to say his name, to even just be able to say his name in that conversation (about returning players)?!
“I’ve had three of those injuries, so I know exactly the situation that he’s in as well as the mentality and mindset that he’s had over the last nine months.
“It’s probably the worst injury you can get in rugby league in the sense of rehabbing it and coming back.
“We’ve worked really closely with him, and it’s all about confidence with that injury, but he’s certainly done all the hard yards.”
‘He certainly was a shining light for us last year in that early part of the season’
Armstrong – who scored five tries in five NRL appearances for the Knights – had scored eight tries in 15 appearances across all competitions for Leigh last term before being struck down with his ACL injury.
He will likely slot straight back into the Leopards’ side at full-back, with replacement Bailey Hodgson having injured his Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL) earlier this year, sidelined until circa Round 9.
Lam continued: “Our medical team have worked really hard with him, so it’s about the feel now and the confidence of when he’s ready to go.
“He certainly was a shining light for us last year in that early part of the season, and we missed him for the second part.
“Bailey Hodgson did an amazing job to replace him for the second part of that season, and both of those players will be back in consideration in the not too distant future.
“We’re really excited.”