Leigh Leopards coach praises Hull FC as honest admission made ahead of latest clash
Leigh Leopards head coach Adrian Lam
Leigh boss Adrian Lam admits his Leopards were ‘left embarrassed’ last time out against Hull FC, and has praised John Cartwright’s side ahead of the pair’s meeting this weekend.
The Leopards – who sit third on the Super League ladder with six rounds remaining – have only been beaten three times on home soil all year.
Up until last week’s shock defeat to Leeds Rhinos, that home loss tally stood at two: and the most recent defeat had come against Hull back in May.
In the pair’s Round 12 clash at the Leopards’ Den, the Airlie Birds had established an unassailable 26-0 lead come the break, and only 12 late points from Leigh spared the result from making more headlines than it did after a dreadful performance.
Leigh Leopards coach praises Hull FC as honest admission made ahead of latest clash
Having also drawn 22-22 in March at the MKM Stadium, the two clubs meet for the third and final time in the ‘regular’ season on Saturday evening, when the Leopards make the long trip to West Hull again.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Wednesday, Leopards head coach Lam said: “It’s a really difficult job to go up to Hull and win.
“We haven’t won against them this season after two games, but we’re prepared for it and there’s going to be a real steel-focus on the team and the DNA we want to show as a club.
“The last one we played here, we were terrible and we were left embarrassed, really.
“That’s in the back of our minds, but we’re a different beast to what we were then. With only six games to go, we’ve got to get that consistency in us and be an 80-minute team.”
As Leigh aim to mount a late push for the top two, Hull’s focus remains on securing their own Super League play-off spot.
Cartwright’s side occupy sixth spot ahead of Round 22, but are just one point ahead of Wakefield Trinity, who are scheduled to play financially-stricken Salford Red Devls on Sunday and have an easier run-in than them, on paper at least.
Lam continued: “We’ve got a lot of respect for Hull, they’ve got a lot of our ex-players there and they’re doing a pretty good job for them.
“They’re desperate to stay in that top six, they’re on the verge of missing out on the top six and their season will be a disappointing one if they do miss out.
“There’ll be a lot of urgency around their performance, but they had a really big win last week and I think that would have given them a lot of confidence.
“I think it’ll be a really tough battle for us.”
FRIDAY’S READS ON LRL
👉 Salford Red Devils respond to misogynistic language allegations from outgoing COO
👉 Salford Red Devils could face damages claim and players could sue warns legal expert
👉 My Ultimate Team – Adam Milner’s best 17 including Castleford Tigers and England legends
