Morgan Smithies not Great Britain standard just yet, says Adrian Lam
Photo courtesy of Richard Long
Wigan coach Adrian Lam has been amazed by Morgan Smithies’ astonishing start to his career – but he believes the Great Britain tour is a bit early for the rising star.
Smithies burst onto the Super League scene earlier this year in a 42-0 win over Catalans, going on to play 18 games for the Warriors.
A former Siddal junior, the 18-year-old has been one of Wigan’s standout stars this year and he picked up the man of the match award in Friday’s 20-6 win over Warrington.
However, Lam believes the Great Britain Lions tour of the southern hemisphere this autumn is a bit too early for Smithies.
Lam commented: “I don’t really want to talk about the representative teams at the moment, I just think he needs to keep his feet grounded.
“It’s something he and his team-mates will learn through time no doubt. He has certainly started off well in his career but I don’t think he is close to that yet.
“He’s not even had an off-season with the club in a full-time environment so it’s amazing that we are talking about him in that light when he hasn’t had a full pre-season.
“Players come back from pre-season like twice the player they usually are, so I’m looking forward to seeing how good he is going to be next year.”
Lam continued to praise Wigan young props Ollie Partington and Liam Byrne as well as Smithies.
He added: “We had a few teenagers in today which was handy.
“They’ve got better in every game they’ve played. We believed in them and every week they have got better.
“It is amazing how the young ones went well and Morgan has gone very well for a couple of weeks now, so I’m pleased he got the man of the match award.”
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