Leigh dug deep to defeat Hull FC, but it could have been different if not for one massive second half play.
Josh Charnley produced a big try saving tackle on Davy Litten. (Image: SW PIX)
Adrian Lam praised the resilience and tough nature of Leigh Leopards’ victory over Hull FC and labelled it as one of the best since he’s been in charge of the club.
The Leopards – who lost two players to injury in Keanan Brand and Andrew Badrock – scored through Innes Senior and Lachlan Lam, with four Adam Cook penalty goals enough to secure a 16-6 Challenge Cup victory on Saturday afternoon.
Dominating much of the contest, Leigh started on the front foot and rarely let that authority slip. In truth, Hull fed off scraps and had just the one spell before half-time where they looked threatening.
However, they came close to salvaging something in the second half before a try-saving tackle by Josh Charnley on Davy Litten ended that fear. The Black and Whites centre raced 80 metres after it was judged that Leigh coughed up possession, but Lam believes the ball was ‘knocked out’ by Hull, creating a bit of injustice if Litten had gone on to score.
“That was actually knocked down by Hull in play, but there was no video referee,” Lam recalled. “It should have been our ball, but the touch judge and the referee missed it, which allowed them to go downfield.
“Had Josh not played to the referee’s whistle, it would have been a try at the other end and then who knows. Josh was on the wing where the ball got knocked down so to have the ability to turn around and chase it back was inspirational.
“There were some big moments in the game where we turned up. We’ve been clunky and we haven’t been great in the first four weeks of Super League, but we needed to grab the game today and turn it around with our actions. I’m really pleased with that.”
On the victory, Lam continued: “It was one of the best since I’ve been involved with the club. It wasn’t the prettiest game or the most exciting, but just the courage we showed, especially with a few injuries during the game. I thought we were just really tough and really physical throughout the whole match. There are some really good signs there for us moving forward.
“We’re trying to rebuild and regroup as a team with so many new faces in key positions. It’s proving to take a little bit of time, but we just had to win today, and by any means. I thought we were in control for most of the game. There was a period where they had ten minutes of momentum, and for the other 70, we had control.
“I feel for Hull as well, as they’ve got a lot of injuries, and it’s difficult to coach. It’s really tough for me personally to coach, but you’ve got to get on with it. There’s a professional side to it. I feel for John (Cartwright), and I’m sure he feels for me. It’s tough to grind out wins when you’ve got players out, but we’ve got responsibility to ensure that other players are ready when there’s opportunities.”
Outlaying the reality of their current situation, Leigh are set to be without Brand and Badrock ‘long-term’, with Leigh down to just 19 available players before the clash and fielding Lewis Brogan as their 18th man in the second half.
“We’ve lost another two today which are long-term,” Lam added. “It’s not ideal. We only had 19 players to pick from this week, so it’s going to be pretty tough next week to field a team.
“There’s only Matt Davis who is coming back. The other guys are unavailable. Logan Brogan today was engaged as the 18th man. He hasn’t played for 10 months. But he did a good job when he came on. The courage that they showed and the resilience – I’m just grateful that they’ve been able to do that.”