Adrian Lam tells STEPHEN IBBETSON what’s next for fast-moving Leigh Leopards.
LITTLE old Leigh have come a long way in two short years.
When Adrian Lam took over as their head coach at the end of 2021, they were bruised from Super League relegation and had only half a dozen players on their books.
Now they are Challenge Cup holders and a play-off team capable of attracting sell-out crowds to Leigh Sports Village.
It’s mightily impressive progress by all at the club, especially brash owner Derek Beaumont, CEO Neil Jukes, head of rugby Chris Chester, and Lam himself.
But all the talk is of a five-year plan, with Leigh not yet being even halfway there.
Now that they have established themselves at the top level, the next step is the foundations: further investment off the field, plus the establishment of their own development set-up.
They are aiming for Grade A, and aiming for the very top of Super League – it’s not-so-little Leigh now.
“It’s been probably one of the highlights of my life so far, because of the things we’ve achieved in the time we’ve been here,” says Lam.
That includes blitzing the Championship – scoring over 1,400 points in the process – winning the 1895 Cup, claiming the club’s first piece of major silverware in 41 years at Wembley, and reaching the Super League play-offs.
And it’s the development of a team capable of doing all that which has given Lam most pride in his time with Leigh to date.
“In twelve months in the Championship, we won everything (1895 Cup, League Leaders’ Shield and Grand Final), which we had never done before,” he says.
“At one stage, back in Super League, everyone was talking about the relegation zone. We spoke really early about the fact that everybody would be doubting us, but that we were in control of our destiny.
“We’d won the three trophies that we could play for in the Championship and then we won the next one we could, the Challenge Cup. That was four in a row.
“It was quite an incredible ride, right up until August. Two thirds of the way through the season, we were playing for equal first.
“So my proudest thing is building a squad here that has made the town proud and each other proud.”
Listeners to Lam interviews and press conferences will recognise references to the town as a common refrain throughout this journey. Why has it been so important for the club to frame their success in the context of the community?
“When I first started recruiting players, we had to get players from outside of the area to play for Leigh. It’s always been a transient club where the players come and go,” says Lam.
“I felt we needed to have something to hold on to, something for the players to want to play for. One was our former players, and the second thing was the town and the owner.
“One of the first meetings we had as a squad when I arrived here was to invite former players to the club. I wanted our players to get a feel of who they were pulling the jersey on for.
“Then I tried to get the town tied in; they were playing for the team and not just for themselves. Our ‘one town, one team’ mentally has been accepted really well.”
It’s one of several motifs driven by Lam, who not only provides the inspiration in the dressing room but is keen to contribute to the club’s wider messaging as well.
“I’ve got a creative mind. I’m always trying to think of ways to align ourselves to a performance or an emotional connection,” he adds.
“There’s the heart or the head that comes with rugby or any sport. Our town is part of that heart. It’s been here before we came and it’ll be here after we’re gone.
“We’ve got an opportunity here to leave a legacy behind with the current squad, and by tying in the town and our former players it’s all an important part of who we are.”
His team has certainly succeeded in forming a tight bond with a supporter base more used to struggle and strife than success and silverware.
Lam says: “We won the Challenge Cup and broke club records, but one of the highlights for me was that we brought a bit of trust to the town, to think that we have a good team.
“In the past, they’ve always had that hope, but it’s never really come true. I think they know now that they’ve got a really good team, and hopefully they think they’ve got a good coach. With that comes a lot more expectation and therefore belief.
“I’ve been very strong on saying to our group here, we’re starting this pre-season where we finished off. We’re not going back to the start. We’ve learned all of that, that’s in the bank now. Let’s go from this point forward.
“I think what’s next for us is the consistency of hopefully being a top-four club. The way we’ve been building, the expectations now are top four this year, then one or two years above that every year moving forward.”
Expectations come not only from supporters, but from within the group: “Part of my coaching philosophy is to make the team believe in who we are and what we do.
“You’ve got to make them believe that anything is possible. That’s my role and I enjoy doing it.
“Part of evolving as a club is to have a little bit of arrogance about you, but with respect. We finished fifth last year and we want to do better.”
With that aim in mind, they have again been on a recruitment drive. While a quieter off-season than Lam’s first two – building almost an entirely new squad for 2022, then recruiting 15 players for 2023 – they have still made eight new signings, while rumours abound that there could yet be one or two more to come.
The Leopards have clearly gone for adding depth to what was one of Super League’s smallest squads – only five have left, including Oliver Gildart who was only ever a short-term injury replacement – but their coach is confident he has quality too.
“I think the players we’ve brought in are better players than what we had here, it’s as simple as that. Because of that, hopefully we’ll have a little more success.”
Most prominently, former Australia international halfback Matt Moylan has signed from Cronulla, with Ben Reynolds and Joe Mellor allowed to leave for Featherstone and Salford respectively after playing prominent roles over the past two seasons.
“You’ve got to make those decisions to go to the next level. I love those two guys (Reynolds and Mellor) like my own family, but Benny Reynolds leaves and Matt Moylan comes in.
“For me that’s a better change at this time with where we are as a club. That’s all we can do as a group. If we keep doing that, we’ll be going in the right direction.
“Matty has that experience from playing in the NRL, playing for Australia, playing State of Origin, being at a great club like Cronulla Sharks. I think he’ll also balance really well with Lachie (Lam) and provide a steady head in the big games.
“He’s very effective with his attacking style and skill. He’s got great speed and a good kicking game. If Matty settles quickly and finds his love for the UK and for Leigh, I think you’ll see the best of him early in the season.”
The average age of their other seven signings is 22 – props Dan Norman (26) and Owen Trout (24) are the oldest and most experienced, while also coming through the door are Louis Brogan (23), Ben McNamara (22), Lewis Baxter (21), Kavan Rothwell and Jack Darbyshire (both 20).
Having focused on proven experience in their recruitment twelve months previously, it’s a notable contrast.
“With a lot of the young players that we’ve signed, we’re hoping to get a DNA into them, that’s reflective of what a Leigh player looks like,” explains Lam.
“That takes time, but one of the things I enjoy most about coaching is watching those players develop every week.
“Two or three of them have already taken that next step up and it’s like ‘wow’. That’s what we need here as a club.
“It’s the first time we’re running a Reserve grade team out of Leigh, it’s the first time we’re running an Under-18s development squad. We’re growing. We’re moving quickly.
“That’s because we want more success. We want to be challenging the top two in Super League.”
They also want success to look, feel and smell like Leigh. The lack of an Academy system and associated pathways in recent years has meant local talent has had to go elsewhere to make it into the game, which the Leopards now want to change.
“We’ve probably got at least ten Leigh juniors playing Super League elsewhere when they should be playing here, so to speak. Now that we’ve got this system set up, we’ll hopefully be able to keep the better ones here and have more players in the squad that are locally born and bred,” says Lam.
“That’s important to us. That’s part of our five-year plan, to get some of those players back in the team. That all takes time and that’s why we’ve got to find a nice balance in our recruitment and retention. Having that Academy and development side certainly helps.”
That plan has borne remarkable fruits in its first two years, so it is certainly worth watching with interest.
As Lam says: “It’s been an unbelievable ride – but I think our best times are still ahead.”
