Leigh Leopards coach delivers frank Adam Cook assessment with admission made on star off-season recruit
Adam Cook takes a conversion for Leigh Leopards in 2026
Leigh Leopards boss Adrian Lam admits star off-season recruit Adam Cook has not ‘reached the heights’ expected of him yet, with pressure on his shoulders to ‘find form quickly’.
Half-back Cook was brought over from Australia by Leigh ahead of the 2026 campaign, putting pen on a three-year deal.
The 25-year-old had racked up eight NRL appearances for Canberra Raiders, with the first of those coming back in 2020, alongside playing 90 times at second-grade level Down Under.
Cook was tipped for big things by all connected to the Leopards over the course of pre-season, but is yet to deliver anything like his best on the Super League stage.
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Leigh Leopards coach delivers frank Adam Cook assessment with admission made on star off-season recruit
Featuring five times across all competitions so far for the Leopards, the playmaker was hauled off with circa ten minutes left on the clock during their 54-0 defeat at Wigan Warriors last month and replaced by veteran Gareth O’Brien.
As Leigh prepare for a Challenge Cup Fourth Round tie at home against Hull FC, head coach Lam addressed Cook’s sluggish start to life as a Leopard during his pre-match press conference.
He said: “Adam’s not reached the heights yet, but he is a talented player.
“This happens to most players that come over from the NRL or the New South Wales Cup or Queensland Cup, they try to find their feet here when the conditions are completely different and it’s a different environment.
“There are different home grounds and away grounds, and it all takes time to get used to.”
With David Armstrong and Bailey Hodgson both sidelined, O’Brien slotted in at full-back last weekend and despite a home defeat to Catalans Dragons, delivered a reasonably impressive individual showing.
Cook meanwhile endured another difficult 80 minutes, though was responsible for four points earned through two conversions.
Lam continued: “I say that in respect that everything takes time when you change so many players. Some clubs have had no changes where we’ve had six, and we’ve done that every year.
“It’s always started off slowly (for us) apart from last year, and I’ve got to get Adam up to speed very, very quickly.
“There is pressure on every player to hold their position, including Adam. He knows what he needs to do to find that form quickly, and we’re working hard on that at training to make sure that he does.”
