Hanley agrees contract extension with the Leopards

Umyla Hanley has agreed a two-year contract extension with Leigh Leopards until the end of the 2028 season.

Hanley, 24, has emerged as one of the outstanding three-quarters in the Betfred Super League in the past two seasons and the news will be received with delight by Leopards’ supporters, with whom he is highly popular for his talent and personality.

Speaking to Leopards TV after signing his new deal, Umyla said: “I’m absolutely buzzing, I absolutely love this club, I’ve really enjoyed my time here and hopefully we can build on last season.”

CEO Neil Jukes said: “As you can imagine there was a big demand for Umyla’s signature beyond his current contract that expired at the end of this year. He’s the ultimate competitor and over such a short period of time has become a leader within the group. His rate of development since breaking into the first team has been phenomenal and with age on his side I’m sure there’s lots more to come.

“The process took a while to navigate through, given we’re in a salary cap sport. However, it was evident throughout that both parties’ ideal was to always get to this position which in time is what we’ve achieved.”

Hanley was Leopards’ only representative in the 2025 Betfred Super League Dream Team, having formed an exciting right-wing partnership with his best friend Keanan Brand in 2025.

Brand and Hanley contributed 33 tries between them towards the Leopards’ successful season and third-placed finish.

After initially making his mark in the senior game as a winger or fullback, the Dream Team recognition confirms the multi-talented Hanley is now firmly established as one of the game’s most dynamic centres, who must be close to achieving international recognition.

Born in Bury, Hanley came through the ranks of the Wigan Warriors, making his senior debut in 2020 and scoring a hat-trick against the then Leigh Centurions a year later. But by the end of 2022, after spending a long loan spell at Newcastle Thunder, Hanley was released and was within days of giving up the game and taking a job in the building industry.

The newly-branded Leopards through his former head coach at Wigan Adrian Lam, offered him a lifeline to resurrect his career and after patiently waiting his chance Hanley has taken his opportunities with both hands.

Discussing Hanley’s new deal Adrian said: “I’ve known Umyla for a very long time, I’ve got so much respect for him as a player and as a person. Seeing him mature on and off the field over that last few years has been one of the highlights of my coaching career, that was there for all to see by how emotional I got when he was announced in the Dream Team last season.

“The scary thing is, I think there’s still a lot to come from him, there are also leadership qualities in him that are starting to shine through and we are grateful that he will play a major part of our future and our success.”

After making two Leopards appearances in 2023 and playing on loan at Rochdale Hornets, Hanley enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2024, he became a regular in the Leopards side and formed a productive right-wing partnership with Darnell McIntosh.

With hat-tricks in successive games against Featherstone Rovers and Salford early in the 2024, Hanley was firmly marked as a player to watch, and by the time he scored his third Leopards hat-trick in the early 2025 season win against Catalans, his partnership with Brand was already blooming. Hanley has scored 27 tries in 59 Leopards games and 39 in 85 career appearances.