Leigh Leopards coach makes Papua New Guinea admission ahead of Kumuls reunion in Castleford Tigers clash
Including Leigh head coach Adrian Lam (left), five Papua New Guineans will be involved in the Leopards' clash with Castleford Tigers on Thursday night.
Papua New Guinea’s presence in Super League is growing, and Leigh boss Adrian Lam couldn’t be prouder that he and the Leopards have had such a big hand in making sure that’s the case.
Play-off hopefuls Leigh – who have won their last three on the spin – travel to The Jungle on Thursday night, taking on Craig Lingard’s Castleford Tigers side.
Friendships will, obviously, be put to one side for 80 minutes. But including Lam, five Papua New Guineans will be involved in the Round 20 clash.
The one-match suspension being served by Tigers Liam Horne, picked up after their defeat at Salford Red Devils last weekend, is the only thing that stops that tally becoming six.
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Leigh Leopards coach details Papua New Guinea pride ahead of Kumuls reunion in Castleford Tigers clash
Instead of taking to the field, the hooker will now watch on from the sidelines as club team-mates Sylvester Namo and Nixon Putt take on Leopards duo Edwin Ipape and Lachlan Lam, the son of Adrian.
Between the sextet, there are 42 appearances on the international stage for the Kumuls.
Rabaul-born Leigh boss Lam featured 16 times for PNG during his own playing days, and has had two stints in charge of his home nation’s national team since becoming a coach.
And ahead of a heavy Kumuls reunion at The Jungle, the 53-year-old detailed his pride in the island producing as many talents as it has done, with nine internationals currently in Super League.
Speaking in Wednesday’s pre-match press conference, he told LoveRugbyLeague: “That’s amazing. To say that would’ve been a possibility even five years ago, it wouldn’t have been heard of.
“Bringing the Edwin Ipapes and the like over has certainly shown the rest of Super League that players from Papua New Guinea are as good as any in the world.
“I would like to say we’ve played a part in making sure that we get that exposure for the Papua New Guinea players, and to have all of those players involved in a Super League game tomorrow night is exceptional, it’s exciting.
“It just shows where rugby league is in PNG, and I think there’s better times ahead as well.
“I think Edwin was looking forward to playing his counterpart in the number nine for Castleford, Liam, but that’s not to be. We’ll have to wait until the next time we travel there for that!”
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‘I’m just proud to be a part of that system in Papua New Guinea… my heart is with the country and the people there’
As soon as Lam took charge at Leigh – then a Championship club – in 2022, he set about handing opportunities to his fellow countrymen.
Ipape, now regarded as one of Super League’s finest hookers, was brought over having previously donned a shirt for the PNG Hunters.
Port Moresby-born Macdonald, who had fallen out of the NRL, was also recruited. And before the end of that first season at the helm, son Lachlan had made the move to the Leigh Sports Village.
Lam senior insists there is some incredible PNG talent still in the Southern Hemisphere just waiting to be picked up and given an opportunity.
He said: “There’s a thousand players there that could kill it over here too if a lot of other Super League teams had a bit of a better identification on who they are.
“No doubt in the next five years or whatever, the number (of PNG players in Super League) will double and treble.
“I’m just proud to be a part of that system in Papua New Guinea, it’s always been that my heart is with the country and the people there.
“I’m happy that it’s progressing like it is now.”
