Lam: Focus on ourselves

• Adrian Lam previews Thursday’s Betfred Super League Play-Off Eliminator against Leeds Rhinos.
• Lam: “I’m really proud of the boys finishing in fourth spot and earning us that right for a home eliminator.”
• Wigan Warriors v Leeds Rhinos, Thursday 23rd September, 7:45pm K.O. Click HERE for tickets.

Adrian Lam has told his side to ‘focus on ourselves’ as they prepare to take on Leeds for a Semi Final spot in the fight for a place in the 2021 Betfred Super League Grand Final.

Reflecting on the victory over Catalans on Friday evening, he said: “It was our last round game at home and an opportunity to play well in front of the DW before the Semi Final Eliminator at home. A lot of players that hadn’t played a lot of rugby this year had a game and I’m jut proud of the squad for maintaining that momentum that we’ve had, it was a confidence builder for us.

“We’ve had to try and manage ourselves a little bit differently at the back end of this year as we’ve played more games than anyone else, I think we’ve done pretty good with that so far and this being our first home Semi Final, we’ve worked really hard right up until the last game.

“The win at Hull cemented that spot for us. Considering the rollercoaster ride we’ve had, hurdles we’ve had to jump with injuries during the season, I’m really proud of the boys finishing in fourth spot and earning us that right for a home eliminator.”

Looking back on the season, Lam said: “I think you get to this point as a team and where you’re ranked on the table is a fair indication of how the season has been. We understand as much as every other club that has been successful over the last 10 years what this part of the season means to us.

“We have a DNA at this Club that is resilient and doesn’t shirk on times like this. I’m looking forward to the team stepping up a level, we’ve defended really well over the last month of rugby, in a style that is suited to big games and that is what our focus has been. Hopefully that can build a platform for us for a successful performance.”

Lam spoke on the opposition: “Leeds are one of the teams that can win it from any position on the table. It’s important that we focus on ourselves, we’ve done a review on them already and we’ve played them a couple of times this year, they beat us only four weeks ago at our home. We understand the difficult challenge that is ahead of us but we’re looking forward to it.”

The boss spoke about the emotion that could come with Thursday’s game, as the Wigan fans prepare to say goodbye for one last time at the DW Stadium to a number of players and to the head coach himself: “I think we have to acknowledge that it’s the last game for some of the players, it’s important to us as that’s who we are, it’s part of our culture and heritage. It doesn’t however sit at the forefront of our preparation, our preparation is to make sure we pick our best 17 players to go out in front of our home fans and put a performance together to get the result that we deserve.”

Lam finished off by reflecting on his time at the Club: “It’s been an amazing ride and I’ve learnt so much along the way. There’s been things thrown at us as a club and a group of players, injuries and everything else that comes with it – even the representative game during the season between England and the All Stars, that was a challenge in itself too when we were short of players to play against Huddersfield.

“I’ve learnt a lot of lessons along the way in myself and it’ll put me in better stead. What we’ve done as a group is be resilient through those tough times and at any stage we could have rolled over and lost one or two games at key parts of the year. I’m really proud of the players and how we’ve handled this season, we’re in a better place for it now as a team.”

Hear more from Adrian Lam as he spoke to Wigan TV earlier this week HERE!

Wigan Warriors face Leeds Rhinos on Thursday 23rd September (7:45pm K.O.) in the first Betfred Super League Play-Off Eliminator Game. Tickets are on sale for the game, with the winner progressing to the Play-Off Semi Finals. Click HERE to buy your tickets NOW!