How Adrian Lam believes Wigan can get out of their 'rut'

Adrian Lam says there is no room for self-pity as Wigan prepare for tomorrow’s derby showdown at St Helens.
Brad Singleton returns to the side from suspensionBrad Singleton returns to the side from suspension
Brad Singleton returns to the side from suspension

Four defeats in a row has punctured a bright start to their Super League campaign.

Coach Lam admits they are “in a rut” but has called for everyone at the club – and the fans – to stick together as they try and navigate a rocky spell.

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He said: “Four losses in a row isn’t good at any time, but it’s the way it is, we have to get on with it.

“We understand the difficult part we’re going through but it’s us who can get us through it.

“We’ll get a few bodies back in the next month but we’ve got a tough period coming up, we can’t feel sorry for ourselves, this is a massive game for us. We are in a bit of a rut, and we need to stick together – including our fans – to get through it. These are the games we live for, it’s our first time playing Saints since the Grand Final, so we’re looking forward to it.”

Wigan were beaten 40-14 by Warrington on Wednesday night and Lam maintains he saw some positive signs in their performance.

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“There were some great signs there for us. Energy and effort, it was the best it had been for a couple of weeks,” he said.

“We’re not far away from where we want to be.”

Prop Brad Singleton is available again after serving a two-match ban and could replace Morgan Smithies, who has a lower leg injury. Saints haven’t played in three weeks due to games being postponed or called-off because of Covid issues, yet coach Kristian Woolf has no concerns they will suffer from a lack of match fitness or rustiness – against a side he expects to be firing.

“What we’ve been able to do is simulate games in training to get the players ready to play,” said the Australian.

“We need to start with some energy about us. I thought Wigan played with a real energy against Warrington and there were a couple of moments, they were unlucky, which made it a slightly different game.

“It is a derby, we’re certainly expecting them to be at their absolute best and we know we’ll have to be at our best to win as well.”