Leigh Leopards coach insists club ‘heading in right direction’ with long-term vision laid out

Leigh Leopards head coach Adrian Lam believes the club are ‘heading in the right direction’ and has his sights set on a maiden Super League Grand Final appearance in 2025.

Lam has guided Leigh from the Championship to Super League play-off semi-finalists in the space of just three seasons, even lifting the Challenge Cup along the way.

The Leopards ultimately failed in their quest to reach Old Trafford in 2024 having been beaten by neighbours – and eventual champions – Wigan Warriors at the semi-final stage.

But that semi-final is the furthest the Leopards have ever been in Super League, and to get there, they had to go on a quite remarkable run in the second half of the campaign following a start to the year which saw them plagued by injuries to key men.

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Leigh Leopards coach insists club ‘heading in right direction’ with long-term vision laid out

Papua New Guinean Lam faces another big challenge in this off-season, with plenty of familiar faces departing Leigh, including captain John Asiata, prop Tom Amone and back-rower Kai O’Donnell.

The Leopards have already caught the eye in the transfer market though with the signings of NRL aces like David Armstrong, Tesi Niu and Isaac Liu.

And Lam believes there is more to come in 2025, saying: “I’ve just got to keep in mind how much we’ve developed as a group.

“Three years ago (2022), we won everything in the Championship. Two years ago (2023), we won the Challenge Cup and finished fifth and this year (2024), finishing fourth is a step in the right direction.

“We are heading in the right direction, so we’ve got to be positive through this year and I think it is an incredible time for the town that they’ve had a team to support and cheer about.

“With that, numbers have risen in our home ground attendances and that’s just a reflection of the team giving our fans something to live for every weekend.”

Lam has spent some of his off-season back in PNG, presenting son – and Leigh star – Lachlan with his shirt ahead of the Kumuls’ clash with the Cook Islands in the Pacific Championships which saw Lam junior captain his nation for the first time.

The 54-year-old continued: “It (the year-on-year progression at Leigh) really gives me great hope and belief that we’re heading where we need to.

“With so many players leaving, it’s a time to be a little bit nervous because there’ll be new faces but there’s also the opportunity for growth and excitement comes with that.

“With the players that are staying, there’s a really good base here, we’ve just got to build on that now and hopefully we can go one game further next year.”

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