Leigh coach Adrian Lam addresses PNG Chiefs job with honest admission made

Leigh boss Adrian Lam says the opportunity to head up new NRL franchise PNG Chiefs isn’t one he’s let himself think about yet, describing his current role with the Leopards as ‘the best job in the world’.

Rabaul-born Lam is about to enter his fifth season at the helm of Leigh having overseen the club’s rise from the Championship to being among Super League’s leading pack.

By the time the 2026 campaign is over, PNG Chiefs will have to start preparing well and truly for their debut NRL campaign in 2028.

Kumuls head coach Jason Demetriou, who will lead Championship heavyweights London Broncos in 2026, has already had his hat thrown in the ring.

And there’s no doubt given what he’s achieved at Leigh with a PNG influence of his own that Lam’s name will too be linked with the Chiefs.

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‘What we’ve done to get here, it’s a difficult place to think that I might want to be somewhere else’

Son Lachlan now dons the shirt of the Kumuls as well as the Leopards, and so too do fellow Leigh stars Edwin Ipape, Jacob Alick-Wiencke and Liam Horne: who will all feature alongside one another in Super League next term.

For now though, Lam senior remains laser-focused on what lies ahead in his current job, as he explained to a selection of the media – including LoveRugbyLeague – at Leigh’s 2026 home kit launch earlier this month.

Asked about the chance he might get to take charge of PNG Chiefs, the 55-year-old provided an open response as he said: “I haven’t thought about it yet, to be honest.

“I’ve been asked a few times by the media, and my answer has always been, ‘I’ll think about it a little bit later on’, because I feel I’ve got the best job in the world here (at Leigh).”

Each season under Lam’s tutelage so far has seen the Leopards progress, starting by winning promotion as they triumphed in the 1895 Cup, Championship League Leaders’ Shield and Championship Grand Final in 2022.

A fifth-place finish in Super League in 2023 was accompanied by a Challenge Cup triumph, with 2024 and 2025 bringing fourth and third-place finishes on the ladder respectively before play-off semi-final exits at the hands of rivals Wigan Warriors.

Lam continued: “When I first came, there was only six players and what we’ve done to get here, it’s a difficult place to think that I might want to be somewhere else.

“I want to get lost in the now and make sure we keep driving towards being successful here in the immediate future.

“But I guess, everyone would have to take anything into consideration, if I was approached by them.

“We’ll see what happens.”