Leigh Leopards take on Wigan Warriors tonight in their rearranged Super League clash from Round Two and head coach Adrian Lam has argued that his side’s ‘season is in the balance’ ahead of the game.
It’s a fixture that’s overshadowed Super League ever since February when it was initially postponed but it is now finally set to be played with each side forced to play three games in less than a fortnight, something that’s led to Leigh Leopards looking “lethargic” in training.
That’s something that Adrian Lam disclosed as he was asked about how he’d prepared for such a short turnaround with both teams having played and won on Thursday evening, however, tonight’s game is arguably even more important.
It’s the ‘Battle of the Borough’ and a game that both teams know they can’t afford to lose with Wigan needing the win to reclaim top spot in Super League, whilst Leigh needs it to boost their playoff push.
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Leigh Leopards boss Adrian Lam is expecting a huge atmosphere at the Brick Community Stadium given it’s such a crucial game as he dismissed the fact that because it’s the third meeting of the season the rivalry had become diluted.
Lam argued: “It doesn’t matter whether you’ve played three days in a row, you still have that rivalry there. That’s something that we’ll look forward to. I think we played there a month ago and there were 16,000 people there.
“Obviously the fans get behind this particular game as well and they know that it’s going to be a cracker.
“It’s as big as it’s ever been. We’re only down the road from them and there’s players that have played at both clubs, I’ve coached at both clubs, and there are links in all sorts of different areas.”
Can Leigh Leopards afford to lose to Wigan Warriors?
Credit: Imago Images
A win would take Leigh Leopards within three points of sixth-placed Catalans Dragons, who suffered a shock defeat to London Broncos on Sunday, but they’re firm outsiders with Wigan having won both meetings so far this season and seemingly having overcome their blip.
Adrian Lam stopped short of calling it a ‘must-win’ game but he did accept that the ‘season is in the balance’ for Leigh Leopards who would remain five points adrift with just 14 to play for should they lose tonight.
Speaking ahead of the game, he explained: “I keep saying that the season is in the balance for us at the moment. They’ve got a big game for them as well to try to get back to the top of the table where we’ve got a similar approach trying to make the six.
“So, two teams that have probably got one or two injuries as well, and I think it’ll be a great game on Tuesday night.”
Despite the Super League season approaching the sharp end and the playoffs set to be decided in the coming weeks, Lam refused to be drawn on whether a loss would end his side’s playoff chances and insisted his focus was on just one game at a time.
“No, no. We’re one day at a time, one week at a time. I’ve looked at the ladder a thousand times over this season and it doesn’t help you, the more you look at it, it doesn’t change.
“What it can do is it can take your mind off you being present right now, so for us, what we are in control of is how we train, how we recover, how we play, and by doing that and staying in the moment, I think you can get your performance out.”
Leigh Leopards have recalled Matt Moylan to their 21-man squad, however, he will be a gameday decision with the Australian labelled as ’50/50′ by Adrian Lam.
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