Ex-Wigan Warriors head coach Adrian Lam jokes Leigh Leopards Popworld-bound after historic Super League victory
Former Wigan Warriors head coach Adrian Lam joked his Leigh Leopards were going to Popworld after winning a historic Super League season opener last night.
The Leopards won away at the Warriors for the first time in 42 years - in the opening fixture of the brand-new 2025 Super League season.
It was their first victory against Wigan in eight attempts - the only club they had not defeated since their promotion back to the Super League.
Lam said: “It’s a nice feeling. It’s always been a goal for the club each year. It’s a great achievement.
“I’ll take the one point to get the two! Wow, what a finish! It was a great game to watch and it had the feeling of a final about it.”
It was the lowest-scoring Super League game with the match ending pointless after 80 minutes.
Speaking before Lam, Wigan head coach Matt Peet said: “I hope the game gets the credit it deserves. I thought it was high-level, intense, physical.
“When there’s so much talent on the field, both teams, the threat, for not a lot to happen for large periods, a lot of people are doing things right and working hard for one another.
“To cancel one another out takes a lot of work, a lot of organisation, a lot of commitment to one another. A stray word could undersell the game,” he added.
Gareth O’Brien kicked the decisive drop-goal three minutes into extra-time.
Lam said: “I’m not a big supporter of golden point to be honest. I think when you play like that, both teams deserve a point.
“If I were on the other end, I would have been pretty disappointed,” he said.
Lam played 119 first-team games for Wigan, scoring 44 times, kicking one goal and 10 field goals, including a try in the 2001 Grand Final.
He said: “I’ve played over here. I know personally it takes between six to ten, twelve weeks to get your rhythm right in the Super League and find your feet.
“That’s why I was a little bit nervous before the game. Though we’ve got some good players, it takes time and you need it to happen sooner rather than later.”
The attendance of 21,748 for the Battle of the Borough was the highest for a round one fixture, beating the record of 21,693.
Lam said: “When we found out that there were going to be over 20,000 people here, everyone just got excited in training. This is why we play rugby league.
“It was a good spectacle for everyone to watch. It was defence-orientated and was physical.
“Anyone watching it around the world to see it end like that will have thought it was incredible,” he said.
Leigh won one of their first seven Super League games last term, so they will hope this will be the start of a winning run.
Lam said: “That was a difficult time. We had a lot of injuries. This doesn’t guarantee we’re not going to win one out of seven.”
The 54-year-old coached Wigan to the 2020 League Leaders’ Shield with 26 points from 17 games as they finished two points clear of St Helens.
He said: “I was here at Wigan in my last year here where we won seven in a row then we lost six in a row and then finished fourth.
“I have said to them to enjoy tonight because it’s a milestone not only for them but for our fans who haven’t had much to cheer about in the Wigan borough for a long time.
“They’re probably tearing Leigh apart tonight. We’ll probably go to King Street or to Popworld.
“It’s great because they have sat through difficult times when we haven’t won against Wigan.”
On the fixture, he said: “It’s becoming just as big a derby as what Wigan-Saints is and had we a bigger stadium at Leigh, maybe the numbers might show that.
“We’ll keep our feet grounded and not get too excited, but I’m happy with the progress and the progress that’s about to come,” he said.
On if he tapped into the history of the fixture, he said: “Not much this time because I’ve tapped into it every time we’ve played them and it’s not worked!
Their last competitive game before last night was at the Brick Community Stadium in the play-off semi-finals last year when they suffered a 38-0 shutout.
On that defeat, he added: “We got embarrassed here last September in our last game.”
Much can change in 131 days. It is early in the season, but things are looking up for Leigh. Wigan will hope to bounce back.