Leigh Leopards have earned the right to travel to Salford Red Devils with confidence, says Adrian Lam. Leigh make the short journey to the Salford Community Stadium on Friday night after securing fifth spot in Super League with a win over St Helens last week.
It was a result that ensured the Leopards entered the knockout stages of the competition on the back of 10 wins from their last 12 games with their only losses in that time coming against the competition’s top two in Wigan Warriors and Hull KR. Such form is a far cry from how Leigh started the campaign, with just one league win coming in their opening seven games.
Leigh lost at Salford during that poor start, but after beating Paul Rowley’s side 28-0 at Magic Weekend in their last meeting, it’s fair to say they might have a psychological edge as they look to claim their spot in the play-off semi-finals. Lam is predicting a much closer game this time around, though.
“They might think they’d the favourites really, they’ve had a really consistent season and finished fourth which is great for them,” the Leigh boss told Serious About RL. “It’s a home game against us and I think they’ll fancy themselves there.
“We can go there with some confidence with what we’ve done over the second half of the season as well. It will be a tight game.”
Of course, whether they win or lose on Friday night, Leigh Leopards know they have played their last home game of the season, with last week’s win over St Helens being an emotional one for so many involved with the club. A raft of players will be moving on when Leigh’s season comes to an end, with the likes of Tom Amone and Kai O’Donnell returning to the NRL, while John Asiata, Zak Hardaker and Oliver Holmes are among those joining other clubs.
With Lam’s current group achieving so much over a short space of time, this off-season will mark the end of an era for the Leopards.
“I think we said goodbye to the players that were leaving and that was a really special moment for everyone, all the families were on the field and no one left the stadium for about 45 minutes,” Lam said referencing the aftermath of Friday’s win over St Helens at the Leigh Sports Village.
“There’s a really good vibe in town at the moment, the fans are obviously proud of the team and the way they’re playing and the players they’re saying goodbye to have certainly left a stamp in the minds of the fans, they have some great memories and especially the Challenge Cup last year.
“There’s 12 out of the whole club that are going, more than a third of the squad is leaving. There’s a massive turnover but that’s we want it to be, we’ve got a vision for us. It’s going to be tough work and we’re starting again but the players leaving have certainly done an amazing job for the town and the club.”
Asked if sending those departing players out on a high was one of the Leigh Leopards squad’s main motivations, Lam added: “I think it plays a part but I think what’s more important is as a club we want to be successful in what we do. We want to be successful because that standards we’ve set ourselves and the levels we want to be as a club. It’s nice to know we’re in there with a chance.”
