Adrian Lam’s early Bevan French memories as he plots to stop star he brought to Wigan

The man who brought Bevan French to Super League admits he is ‘right up there’ as the greatest overseas players in the competition’s history – as he now tries to plot to stop him on Friday night.

Adrian Lam was the man who plucked French from Parramatta Eels seven years ago this week – with the Australian going on to become one of the most exciting players Super League has ever seen.

But Lam will be on the opposite side on Friday night, as he looks to find a way to halt French and Wigan’s magnificent form and claim a huge victory for Leigh Leopards in the latest Battle of the Borough.

However, the Leigh coach did take take this week to reminisce on his memories of signing French.

Adrian Lam aiming to stop the man he signed

Lam told Love Rugby League: “I remember signing him, he came over straight away and he played in a couple of games and he was just next level with the stuff he did. I thought, oh wow, this is a cracker we’ve got here.

“They’ve played a lot of the year without him, as well as last year, and they’ve learned how to win without him. That’s credit to the organisation and the coaching and the players around there. That takes maturity, but it also breeds confidence when you can do that without your best attacking player.

“Bevan picked it up quickly and I wasn’t surprised at all. He’s got that genuine speed but he can sidestep on a dime, and he’s got that genuine acceleration. That’s key in this competition and he’s key for them.

“My whole background is recruitment and retention with a junior base at the roosters when I first came into coaching in the NRL. Identification of talent is something I think I’m pretty good at, if I can give myself a pat on the back there.

“When you ID these players, that’s only the starting point. You’ve got to come over, settle in and suit the rugby – and it takes time. I said that about Adam Cook this year. He’s starting to get there now because Lachlan Lam and Adam are playing well together.”

Leigh aiming for more success over Wigan

When asked to sum up where he felt French ranked in the list of greatest Super League overseas players, Lam smiled: “I’m sick of talking about him!

“I’d rather talk about my players – but he’s right up there. I don’t know where exactly, but yeah. He’s going to be a handful but I’ve got some great players playing in great form too.”

Lam did admit that French was likely to be central to everything Wigan will do well on Friday as they look to move back into Super League’s top two. Leigh, meanwhile, can firmly ignite their own hopes of finishing in the top two should they win the game at a sold-out Leigh Sports Village.

Lam said: “He’s going to be a handful here on Friday night. He’s playing with his tail up, he’s very confident at the moment and they’ll be buzzing. There’s a couple still coming back into the picture for them but it’s been great.. the first couple of years we hadn’t beaten Wigan and last year we beat them twice out of the three times we’ve played them.”