Leigh Leopards head coach Adrian Lam has admitted he’s unsure if he can field a full squad next week after the club suffered two more long-term injuries in their Challenge Cup win over Hull FC.
The 2023 Challenge Cup winners progressed to the quarter-finals with a 16-6 win over Hull FC, however, that came at a cost with Keanan Brand and Andy Badrock suffering leg and shoulder injuries, respectively.
Brand had to leave the field within the first couple of minutes whilst Badrock was also forced off in some discomfort, leaving Leigh’s already thin squad even thinner.
Speaking post-match, Lam hailed the grit of the win: “I think it’s one of the best (victories) since I’ve been involved with the club. It wasn’t the prettiest game or open or exciting but it was the courage that we showed, especially with a few injuries in the game.”
Injuries were so severe that the 18th man Louis Brogan, who himself hasn’t played in ten months due to injury, was activated with Lam full of praise for the youngster.
On that, Lam said: “Another thing today is that Louis Brogan was engaged as 18th man and he hasn’t played for ten months. He did a good job when he came on and the courage showed throughout and the resilience, I was grateful that they were able to do that.”
Leigh Leopards down to ‘bare 17’ as injuries mount
The injuries to Brand and Badrock, who themselves were both playing out of position due to injuries with Brand covering centre and Badrock then filling that position, add to an already long casualty list.
On the unprecedented injury list, Lam said: “No, I haven’t (known anything like it). Again, we had another two today which are long-term.
“It’s not ideal. I only had 19 players to pick from this week as well, so it’s going to be a tough week next week for us to field that team because there’s no one coming back, it’s only really Matt Davis that is available.”
It’s not only the number of injuries but the number of significant players with both full-backs David Armstrong and Bailey Hodgson out, as well as hooker Edwin Ipape, Dream Team centre Umyla Hanley and star prop Joe Ofahengaue.
Looking ahead to their round five Super League game against Wakefield Trinity, Lam admitted: “I’m not sure if we can can together a squad of 19 next week. I think that makes it 13 injured out of the squad of 30, so it’s down to the bare 17 but we’ve got to go to Wakefield and find a way to win.
“It’s a six-day turnaround, Wakey are on a high and I don’t know if I’ll have enough players to choose in my 17 but we’ll pick a team that is good enough to go up there and win, and we have to win.”
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