Adrian Lam and Leigh Leopards are hoping revenge will be on the cards this week, as they look to prove themselves worthy and make up for last year’s disappointing semi-final defeat to Wigan Warriors.
The Leopards, who finished 5th last year and beat Salford Red Devils to set up a final four tie with their local rivals, put on arguably their worst performance of the year in that game, going down 38-0 to Matt Peet’s Warriors.
However, Leigh have managed to build on that defeat and finish third in this year’s competition, guaranteeing a home play-off and using their advantage well, demolishing Wakefield Trinity in a relentless performance.
Now, they head into another semi-final showdown at the Brick Community Stadium, and with the current squad they have and form they are in, they have arguably their best ever chance of beating Wigan in finals rugby.
There were talks earlier this week that the Leopards owner Derek Beaumont threatened to pull out of the fixture, following a dispute over ticket allocations. However, he has since released a lengthy statement saying that was untrue, and as it stands the game is set to go ahead.
In the midst of that, coach Lam spoke to the media ahead of Friday night’s showdown, and revealed just how much last year’s defeat impacted them, and how beating them twice in 2025 will give them confidence they can do so again.
He said: “I think it’s ongoing and I touch on this all the time with there being 12 new faces in the group. It’s about learning and keeping those learnings from last finals into this year but the biggest turnaround for me was four months after we got touched up there by them, we won in the 84th minute in round one in February at the start of this year. That broke the hoodoo really about beating Wigan, our first win (over them) after being promoted back up in 2023. There’s been a lot of different moments and growth within the group and that first one was certainly a great way to start the season.
“Wigan are certainly going to go to another level aren’t they? They’ve had 14, 15, 16 days or whatever is is so they’re going to be pretty fresh. We’re just going to manage the start really well and there’s going to be difficult periods that we’ve got to get through and see out but we’ve got a plan for all of that, so I’m pretty excited.
Lam’s Leopards have been in great form at the end of this season, something that mirrors last season. However, he will certainly be wanting a different ending this time around.
He said: “I think we won 13 out of the last 15 games and went in on the back of a real emotional rollercoaster, then when we got there, we choked. We were emotionally drained by the time the end of September had come around so we’ve tried to keep them a little bit fresher this time around.
“It’s a little bit of a different approach, a bit less emotional hopefully and more pragmatic I would guess is the message. Having said that, I thought the way we played last week was right where we needed to be. We’ve just got to be able to manage that against a way better team at a higher intensity.”
Leigh Leopards boss talks motivation for semi-final clash and hails progress of club
As well as last season’s defeat, Lam admitted there were more reasons for his side to win this week, and he hopes they can spur them on to get the victory and reach their first ever Super League Grand Final. Leigh Leopards have achieved some incredible things in the past three years, but the former PNG international wants more from his side before their season comes to an end.
“I’m not ready to not be coaching next week,” Lam said. “I understand the processes involved with it, but what we see it as is an opportunity for this group on this current journey. I think it’s been nice to see us tick some boxes along the way this year, as we have done every year.
“Finishing high up the ladder certainly shows the trajectory that we’re on as a club. I think the more of these games we play, the better we’re going to be. To think that we’d be 80 minutes away from Old Trafford two years in a row, as the Leigh Leopards, is an incredible story. Having said that, we want to achieve things that we’ve never done before as a club. Winning our first quarterfinal last week was one of those. Having a home final was one of those. We’ve got to do things we’ve never done to get what we deserve so much.
“We know we’ve probably got to play better than we’ve played all year. We know that it’s going to take an almighty effort to beat Wigan, and we know that not too many people are going to give us a chance. We’ll do everything we possibly can to be there or thereabouts when the game counts most. Fingers crossed a little bit of luck goes our way and we can get the results that we deserve. We’re prepared for that and we’ll see what happens.
“My time now is to focus on our team and what we’re building towards. I’m really excited about what’s ahead for us, regardless of what the outcome is on Friday night, whether we go through to Old Trafford or for the next year or two or three years. I’m really excited about where this team’s going.
“I think we’ve got some really positive times ahead for us, not only as a coach, but as a club, but also a fan. I think the Leigh fans are going through a really golden period at the moment, one that they’ve in this lifetime probably not experienced. So, hopefully there’s some more good times ahead.”
