Adrian Lam says Wigan Warriors won't even think about 'safety net' play-offs route

Adrian Lam at Old TraffordAdrian Lam at Old Trafford
Adrian Lam at Old Trafford
Adrian Lam says the ‘safety net’ route won’t even be discussed as Wigan aim to move a step closer to Old Trafford on Friday night.

Victory against Salford would propel the defending champions to within 80 minutes of the Grand Final.

But Friday’s match is not sudden-death, and the losers have the luxury of a second bite against the victors of tomorrow’s clash between Warrington and Castleford.

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Lam, though, wants his players to treat their play-offs opener as a must-win encounter.

And he reckons their surge up the table into second spot has ensured they go into the post-season battle-hardened to the demands they will face.

Asked about the safety net, Lam said: “I’m not going to mention that this week.

“I don’t even want to think about that as an option. It’s been week to week for us since I don’t know when – round 13 or 14 – and since then, it’s felt must-win.

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“I used the term, ‘We’ve been tippy-toing on the tightrope for a long time’, but it’s true, because if we’d fallen at any stage we may have finished fourth, fifth, or missed out altogether.

“So it’s been must-win for several weeks, the players are used to that, and it will put us in good stead.”

He will today name his 19-man squad, with Liam Farrell set to replace Oli Partington, Chris Hankinson on stand-by for injured Dan Sarginson and Liam Marshall back in the mix.

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