Leigh Leopards head coach Adrian Lam was left “frustrated” with the speed of the game in his side’s victory over Leeds Rhinos.
The Leigh boss was left a happy man overall, as last year’s play-off semi-finalists earned a 26-14 victory over Brad Arthur’s men.
Innes Senior, in his Super League debut for Leigh, crossed for the opener, whilst Lachlan Lam, Edwin Ipape, Jack Hughes and Matt Davis also touched down in the victory.
Leigh were far from perfect, but as round one performances go, especially against Leeds, they did all they needed to do to earn the two points and start their season in the best way possible.
However, one facet of the game that Lam didn’t agree with was the vast amount of stoppages, and how that then had an effect on his side’s momentum.
A mixture of scuffles, video referee decisions and captain’s challenges all meant that there was a real flow to the game, and despite Leigh having success with the quicker rucks, it was often halted by breaks in play that were far too long.
Speaking to Sky Sports post-match, Lam gave his overall verdict, and went on to air his grievances with the frequent delays.
“[We’re] pretty happy with that,” Lam explained. It’s always important to start the season with a win and at home as well.
“There were a few new faces in the team and a nice performance from the fans, just obviously bringing that group together.”
Referencing the tension between the players, particularly Harry Newman and Tesi Niu, he added:
“There was obviously a bit of emotion out there, but I’m just frustrated with the speed.
“There’s that many stoppages in the game, I probably didn’t need to make any changes because of all the ‘six agains’, the penalties and just going up to check tries and check all sorts of stuff.
“I’m a bit frustrated with that, but like you said, happy to have a win.”
Leigh Leopards boss gives verdict on new signings
Some of Leigh’s new recruits played their part in the win, including the aforementioned Senior, who opened the scoring.
Liam Horne, who joined from Castleford, and Adam Cook, from Canberra, both earned the praise of boss Lam, in what was only their second competitive game for their new club.
Horne, who started on the bench, came on in the 13 role, replacing Joe Ofahengaue, and put in a solid showing, whilst Cook worked well with Lam Jr to create a solid attacking display.
Commenting on their performances, boss Lam was more than happy with their efforts against the Rhinos. He said: [Cook] was steady away. It’ll take him up to ten games to find his feet here and when it dries out a little bit too he’ll be better.
“He’s very skilful and we’re glad that he’s in that half-partnership with Lachlan, hopefully they can build that combination during the season.
“I think [Horne]’s going to be unbelievable, especially when we push Edwin to play 13 and they’re both on in the field at the same time, I think that’ll be electrifying for us.”
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