Adrian Lam was left to reflect on what he described as a ‘nightmare’ performance from his Leigh Leopards side in the Super League play-off semi-finals. The Leopards were beaten 38-0 by Wigan Warriors at the Brick Community Stadium as they saw their hopes of reaching the Grand Final ended in fairly emphatic fashion.
Leigh were their own worst enemies at times as they gifted Wigan field position consistently and Matt Peet’s side were ruthless enough to punish them by running in six tries on the night. Sam Walters and Liam Marshall got a pair of tries each while Bevan French and Jai Field also got over the line in the second half as Wigan joined Hull KR in next Saturday’s showpiece event at Old Trafford.
The Leopards were the form team heading into the game, with the club on a run of 11 wins in 13 games prior to making the journey, including a win over Salford Red Devils in the first round of the play-offs. But they just weren’t at the races this time around, with Lam calling his side’s performance uncharacteristic.
“It was a bit of a nightmare wasn’t it,” he told Sky Sports. “I’m obviously proud of the way we turned the season around to get here.
“The first half put us under a little bit of pressure and we haven’t been like that for a long time. It was uncharacteristic and I can’t put a finger on it but if you don’t complete against Wigan, six agains, penalties and you build pressure on yourself, that’s what happens.”
Reflecting on the season as a whole, the Leigh Leopards boss added: “I learned a lot as a coach myself, it’s the best time to mature as a coach when you go through difficult situations. [We had] a lot of injuries, it was a rollercoaster but we got it right towards the end and we’ve taken the club further than it’s ever been in the Super League era.
“I’m really proud of the team for that and all the staff and everyone involved. We have an incredible bunch of fans that travel and enjoy the ride as well.
“For us to be in this place tonight, everyone doubted us at the start of the year but just to keep the group together, a lot of them are leaving, we’re going to miss them all and love them all dearly but that’s rugby league.
“We’ve made some tough decisions to change the group around and to get some speed in there which you’ve seen tonight certainly helps if you’ve got that. A new look next year, some nervous times around that but also opportunities for growth.”