LEIGH LEOPARDS coach Adrian Lam has offered an insight into the club’s recruitment process.
They have been Super League’s most active side in recent years, having brought in 14 new faces in their first season back following promotion in 2023, another dozen in 2024 and then, ahead of this season, a further ten.
That’s after building virtually a new team from scratch in 2022 when Lam and director of rugby Chris Chester joined.
Their work has been hugely successful to date, with Leigh climbing from the Championship to become a credible Super League contender via a Challenge Cup title.
Lam and Chester have provided the inside story of the Leopards’ rise – and a view of what their future holds – for a feature in the April edition of Rugby League World.
“My philosophy as a coach is that I have a particular style I want to play and standards I set,” explained Lam.
“Then I go out and get the players that can play that style and have the personality to meet those standards.
“I literally give it to them to run, the way I want to play, but then I empower them to drive the way that we train and play. With that comes accountability and ownership.
Lam added that while “talent gets you identified”, character is crucial in deciding which players to then sign.
“I think I identify talent as well as anyone in the game,” he said.
“That’s not giving myself a rap, that’s just my background. I did recruitment for the (Sydney) Roosters.
“I know the style works if everyone is on the same page.
“I think the hardest bit to do is to get them to care about each other and feel like they’re a family.
“It’s hard to build that camaraderie but, once you have it, it’s very hard to break.”
The full feature is in the new issue of Rugby League World, out this week and available to pre-order now at totalrl.com/shop.