“I leave with some wonderful memories” – Adrian Lam bids farewell to Wigan
Adrian Lam says he is “absolutely gutted” his tenure as Wigan coach came to an abrupt end, but that he leaves the club with some wonderful memories.
The Warriors suffered an 8-0 defeat to Leeds in an elimination Super League play-off at the DW Stadium on Thursday night, bringing Adrian Lam’s time as Wigan boss to an end.
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The defeat also signalled the end of the Wigan careers of Oliver Gildart and Jackson Hastings as they prepare to head off to the NRL with Wests Tigers.
Adrian Lam reflects on the loss
Lam said: “I’m absolutely gutted, the dressing room is devastated.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do tomorrow because it wasn’t in the plan. I’ve spent a big chunk of my life in Wigan, I absolutely love the place and I’ve had a great ride.
“I leave with some wonderful memories and I think the club is in a pretty good place.
“We have players leaving too, which is more important than me. We had an opportunity to finish on a fairytale.
“But we didn’t get into our rhythm. We defended pretty tough but we didn’t really attack the way we trained. It’s been a bit like that all year with all the changes we’ve had to make.
“I couldn’t ask more from them – they were gutsy and that’s the way it ends sometimes.”
Meanwhile, Wigan have confirmed that prop forward Tony Clubb will retire from rugby league at the end of the season.
The 34-year-old Kent-born Clubb has decided to hang up his boots after playing 323 games in a career that began with London Broncos in 2006.
He went on to captain the London club before moving to Wigan in 2014 and made 165 appearances for them, winning the World Club Challenge, Grand Final and the League Leaders’ Shield.
Clubb also played three games for England. He notably scored four tries in one game as a centre against Papua New Guinea in 2010.
He said: “I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. I can honestly say with my hand on my heart I’ve had the best time.
“I’ve travelled the world, won many things and played with some outstanding people. It’s been an absolute pleasure and I’m sad it’s come to end.”