Kai O’Donnell has signed for Leigh Leopards, with the club expected to announce his arrival imminently.
It was first revealed by Love Rugby League several months ago that Leythers had launched a move to bring the back-rower to Super League after two weeks away, following an excellent spell with Leigh before his move.
It has been widely accepted that O’Donnell would return to the club, with Leigh even trying to secure his services before the transfer deadline last month. They had hoped to land that deal before the Cowboys ultimately decided against it, partly because they allowed Matt Lodge to leave to take up a deal with Leeds Rhinos.
But despite interest across Super League, Leigh have now been able to finalise a deal for O’Donnell and he will make his way back to the club next year after signing a multi-year contract.
For Leigh, he is their first major signing for 2027 and will help replace Owen Trout, who is heading to the NRL in order to take up a move with Cronulla Sharks.
The Leopards have plenty of work to do before 2027, with Trout one of six players certain to leave at the end of the year. Trout departs alongside Robbie Mulhern, Jack Hughes, Isaac Liu, Ben McNamara and Bailey Hodgson, leaving them particularly light in the pack. There still remains doubt over Matt Davis’ future too.
While O’Donnell is a major signing, their only other addition so far is hooker Jack Purtill, who has been playing reserve grade for Wigan Warriors. It leaves them in need of further pack reinforcement.
However, O’Donnell is certainly a good start. He scored 31 tries in 77 games for Leigh in three seasons, winning the Challenge Cup in 2023.
That earned him a move to the NRL with North Queensland Cowboys and he made 25 appearances for the club over two seasons. He was announced as one of the club’s departing players at the end of the year alongside John Bateman, whose move to Bradford Bulls next year has already been announced.