Leigh Leopards made it three Super League wins in a row with star signing Adam Cook instrumental in the 33-18 win over Catalans Dragons.
After a torrid start to the season, the Leopards now have four wins in five and they’re breathing down the necks of those in the top six following their impressive win in Perpignan.
Trailing 18-14, the game turned on it’s head when Cook nailed a 40/20 to help set up Joe Ofahengaue’s try with two more following swiftly after, as well as a drop goal from the half-back to cement the impressive win.
A deserving Man of the Match, Cook spoke post-match on Sky Sports, admitting: “We started not as fast as we wanted to. Catalans turned up to play and it was a tough start for us, but once we got our footy on, we thought we’d come out on top, and that’s what we did.”
Asked about his game-changing moment, Cook said: “I’ve probably been missing those moments in the past couple of weeks. Joe Ofahengaue, any time he carries the ball, you know it’s going to be a quick one. I just like to play off the back of him a bit.
“When I see that full-back leaning to one side then I know if I can take my opportunity. It helps that I’ve got a good kicker like Lachie (Lam) on the other side so the full-back is always in two minds. Yeah, I was just happy to get it off.”
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Whilst Cook rightly took the plaudits, huge credit had to be paid to the Leigh pack with the aforementioned Ofahengaue racking up a team-high 167 metres.
“It’s an easy job when they’re rolling,” Cook said, stating: “Isaac Liu, Joe Ofahengaue, Owen Trout, when they get going and they’re working together, it’s a hard pack to stop.
“Me, Lachie and Gaz (O’Brien) and David (Armstrong), are just looking to play off the back of them. Whenever we can do that, get quick play the balls and play flat and fast football, which I think we’re starring to do now, then it looks really good.
“We’re happy it’s finally starting to all come together. We’re getting our players back at the right time and it’s looking good.”
Adrian Lam confirmed that both Bailey Hodgson and Keanan Brand could be in contention for the club’s next Super League game meaning the Leopards are almost at full strength, and Cook pointed to the prior injury issues but also the fact that he and many others took time to adapt to the new quicker games.
He said: “We needed to find our feet eventually. We had a few players out, we weren’t using them as an excuse. We were trying to win every game, but it was a really tough start, playing away a lot of games, getting knocked out of the Challenge Cup, which was tough for us.
“We’ve got three Super League games straight wins now, so we’re starting to build confidence which is a big thing in Super League.
“It’s just learning the new rules, playing flat and fast, like I said and we’re really reaping the rewards now.”
