JOHN Asiata can’t wait to see Leigh team mate Edwin Ipape in action against Super League defences AND attacks this season.

Last season’s Championship player of the year is already one of the leading contenders with competition sponsors, Betfred, to become 2023 Steve Prescott Man of Steel.

Fellow odds callers, SkyBet, even make Ipape favourite to succeed Salford Brodie Croft, ahead of the likes of Wigan’s Bevan French and Jack Welsby of St Helens.

“There are a lot of good hookers in Super League so it will be interesting to see how Edwin goes,” said Asiata speaking to Journal Sport from the Leopards’ warm weather training camp in Lanzarote.

“These are exciting times for him. It will be good for him to test his skills against those guys.

“I didn’t know much about him until he arrived at Leigh. But we saw him grow more confident in his ability.

“He began to understand the game more. He is a great runner of the ball but he started to pick his time when to run and when not.

“But it is not just his attacking game that is sharp,” said Asiata, whose NRL Grand Final winning pedigree will be crucial during Leigh’s latest crack at the top flight.

“You run at him and he will put you on your arse. (backside) He was one of our biggest hitters last year.”

Realising head coach Adrian Lam had unearthed a gem in his fellow Papua New Guinean, Leigh tied down the 24-year-old with a three-year deal.

“There are a lot of hookers in the NRL I think Edwin would be on top of,” confirmed Asiata. “He has got all the qualities in his game to be an NRL player.”

Ipape, who often came off the bench last season, will certainly be one of the keys to a successful Leopards campaign in 2023.

And Asiata is optimistic about the months ahead while acknowledging the step up in class.

On 15 occasions in 2022, Leigh scored in excess of 50 points, including their record breaking 100-4 rout of York.

“It will be a mindset thing,” added Asiata. “We need to make sure our attitude is right every week.

“Even though we won comfortably in a lot of our games, the first 20 minutes of games were usually tough.

“The difference this season that tough period will last longer until someone cracks. The speed of the game will be so much quicker and the skill levels will be sharper.

“So, we have got to trust the process we have gone through in pre-season. Not many people have given us a chance.

“But we are not there to make up the numbers anymore. We want to be different and our aim is to be in the top six, nothing less.”