When Leipana Ruled Leichhardt

In an extract from The Milk, the book about 40 years of fandom for the Canberra Raiders, we remember the Sunday in 2016 when Joey Leilua and Jordan Rapana combined to torch Wests Tigers

JOEY ‘BJ’ LEILUA had come to Canberra from Newcastle Knights with a reputation for being fat and lazy, according to none other than Joey ‘BJ’ Leilua¹. But Ricky Stuart got him running, fit and happy like a jolly, athletic Buddha. And in 2016 he forged such a combination with the inimitable Jordan Rapana that they called them by one name: Leipana.

Leipana – the combination yielded 34 tries and 250 tackle breaks, they were first and second in the league. And in the 17th minute of the final round fixture between Canberra Raiders and Wests Tigers on a glorious Spring afternoon at Leichhardt Oval, Leilua pulled a play from his very crazy backside. And it was the very peak of a flat-out glorious year to be a Raiders fans.