Lam: Disappointing

• Adrian Lam reacts to Wigan’s defeat to Hull KR at the DW Stadium.
• Lam: “We created a lot of opportunities in the second half there, but we kept on dropping the ball in decisive moments. It was not good enough.”
• FT | Wigan Warriors 8-18 Hull Kingston Rovers

Adrian Lam highlighted the number of missed opportunities to score as one of the key factors in Wigan’s 8-18 loss to Hull KR on Friday night.

Despite two tries from the returning Oliver Gildart, the Cherry and Whites were unable to grab two points at the DW Stadium.

Speaking to the media shortly after the full time whistle, the Warriors head coach gave his reaction to the result.

“It’s disappointing. It was frustrating watching the whole way through. We made too many mistakes and errors.

“There was effort there, no doubt about that, but with the amount of possession we had in their 20, we should have posted more points.” 

Although Lam wasn’t pleased with Wigan’s performance, there was some praise for the opposition.

“You have to give credit to their defence, they were great, but we were held up four times and you have to make those count.” 

Pointing to specifics in the defeat, Lam suggested the Warriors were too wasteful in key moments.

“We created a lot of opportunities in the second half there, but we kept on dropping the ball in decisive moments. It was not good enough.”

The game will be remembered for a wholesome positive, in that after 15 months away, a limited number of Wigan fans were able to attend the DW to cheer on their side.

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On the return of fans: “I’m happy that they are back but I’m disappointed for them. We’ve missed them. There wasn’t much to cheer for tonight and I apologise for that, but it was nice for them to cheer the boys on and to have them back.”

Another positive was the return of Liam Marshall and Oliver Gildart, both making their first appearances of 2021 after recovering from long-term injuries. Gildart in particular made his mark, scoring two tries on the night.

On Gildart’s performance: “I’m glad to see him back. You can see him and Marshy [Liam Marshall] need some game time, there was a little bit of roughness there and loose execution. But it was just good to have them back out there.” 

Lam also provided an update on Dom Manfredi, who despite being named in the 20-man squad earlier this week, was absent from the matchday squad.

“He was a late withdrawal. He’s got a small amount of fluid on the knee. He’s seeing a specialist tonight and will hopefully know soon what the outcome of that is, be it week to week or something more.”