Leigh Leopards made history as they beat Wigan Warriors 1-0 in the Super League season opener but head coach Adrian Lam has called for his side to remain grounded.
It will be somewhat tough for the fans to do that given the nature of the win, securing a golden point drop goal victory over your local rivals at their own ground on opening night.
Add onto the fact that the victory was the first that Leigh had over Wigan as the Leopards and it made for a very good night for Adrian Lam’s side, or as he would say fantastic.
Speaking live on Sky Sports, Lam explained: “It’s fantastic for the club. It is our first, since we’ve been back in Super League, Wigan were the only team we hadn’t beaten.
“We’ll take the football score of 1-0 tonight. It was a great way to start the season I guess for rugby league and exposure for other sports that are watching tonight. It was a great game to watch.”
The 1-0 win is the first of its kind in Super League and the lowest-scoring game in the competition’s 30-year history, eclipsing two previous 4-0 scorelines. The 80-minute result of 0-0 also happened to be the first since 1993 in any British rugby league competition.
Leigh Leopards boss reacts after incredible Wigan Warriors win
The Leopards end 42 years of hurt 👏#SuperLeague pic.twitter.com/86nDv9QWmf
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) February 13, 2025
Leigh are a much-changed side from 2024 with plenty of high-profile exits but that’s meant some new faces, five of who debuted against Wigan – all of whom impressed the Leopards boss.
Speaking about the performance, he said: “To be honest, I wasn’t sure what we were going to get tonight because there are so many new players in the squad.
“I was hoping for that but sometimes you don’t get it. It was just courageous. If that’s the standard of what is ahead for us then it’s on the up.
“We’ve still got a lot of work to do but I’m just grateful that we’re a part of tonight. I think it’s the highest crowd in Round One and maybe the lowest score ever.”
Calling for calm, he outlined what’s still to come: “I don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves. If you want to play Wigan then it’s in Round One but we’ve got to play them three times this year so I don’t want to say anything too outrageous because they’re a champion club.
“Even for us, it’s just the start. I don’t want to get too excited about it. It’s great for the group in making sure that they mature through that. We’ve got a 10-day turnaround so a bit of a break and we’ll keep it grounded.”
Leigh will face Huddersfield Giants at home in Round Two in a game that will likely see them attack more and that may give full-back David Armstrong a chance to show his abilities more so after an impressive and gritty display.
“I thought the five (new) players were awesome tonight,” Lam said of his new signings before honing in on the full-back.
“I knew that was going to be the game for Davey (Armstrong) tonight, I knew he was going to get rattled a bit and bashed but I think it’s what he needs – to come over here and know what these levels are like.
“I think that will keep him tough and remind him of where he needs to be. I’mr really excited about him this season.”
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