LAM FIRED UP BY WIGAN’S CUP T RAD ITION
Warriors coach on the iconic 2002 ‘Radlinski Final’ and how that can inspire his team tomorrow
ADRIAN LAM has made sure his side are fully aware of Wigan’s rich Challenge Cup record, recalling how he helped make history with the Warriors.
Lam was scrum-half in 2002’s “Radlinski Final”, when Kris Radlinski played with pain-killing injections in a foot and won the Lance Todd Trophy after the 21-12 win over St Helens.
Ahead of tomorrow’s semi-final against Leeds, Lam explained how Radlinski (right), now the Warriors executive director, wanted to recognise his contribution to the iconic win.
“He actually offered me the man of the match medal afterwards,” said Wigan coach Lam. “I said no.
“He wasn’t going to play for most of that week because of an infection under his foot. What he
did on that day was quite special to help us to that victory, and he always reminds me about it!
“But I’ll never forget it, he held two or three players up over ver the line and it was inspirational with the way he played.
“Saints were flying at the time and it was a big upset.” ”
Lam’s side are favourites s with the bookmakers this weekend as they bid to lift a first Challenge Cup since 2013.
And Lam (right, top) will not be afraid to throw a few curve balls at the Rhinos after recounting his role in the build-up to that 2002 Murrayfield win.
He said: “I remember having a meeting with Andrew Farrell and saying we hadn’t beaten St Helens for a couple of games and we needed to play differently.
“I thought we should move the
ball more, he supported it, so I talked to the coach and we had a meeting the night before the game that changed the way we played. ““It was a surprise to everyone o but I felt we needed to do something different and it worked for us.
“The memory of lifting th the trophy, the crowd going b berserk. With 30 seconds to g go I just walked around thinking how amazing the moment was. I’d like to get b back in that same situation. “When we look at the legacy of our club and what it’s achieved in this competition, the importance of showing the players that is it paints a picture - if we do our job then we’ve a chance of experiencing those moments ourselves.
“They’re a young group, and the moment they get that, we’re going to go to another level as a club.”