ADRIAN LAM has praised the three promoted sides as “a breath of fresh air” to Super League.
Bradford Bulls (via the grading system), Toulouse Olympique and York Knights (by an independent panel) were brought into the top flight and while most pundits believed the trio would struggle with the step up, all three have impressed.
Leigh coach Lam, whose side needed golden-point to overcome Toulouse on Saturday, believes expansion has made Super League far more competitive.
“I love it, it’s been such a breath of fresh air for those teams to come up and be successful,” Lam said.
“They are only just beginning, but they are all filled with Super League-quality players.
“If you’re not on your day, which we sometimes haven’t been, it becomes a real challenge and they have been winning some games because they have had that cohesion. They have played well together for the last twelve months.”
Lam also drew on the fact that when the Leopards were promoted back to Super League in 2022, they may have set a precedent for promoted sides to be more adventurous in their playing style.
He said: “I hope we have set the blueprint for teams coming up. I think we’ve definitely influenced the way has game slightly changed by the way we move the ball.
“A lot more teams play a style that we played when we first came up and you see more teams doing it now.
“I think it gives clubs belief that Leigh did it so why can’t they? The promoted teams are putting their best feet forward and it’s great for the game.”