SECOND HELPING OF LAM
Lachlan hungry for fresh taste of Wembley glory
CHALLENGE CUP matchwinner Lachlan Lam has warned Hull KR: “We want to do it all again.”
Holders Leigh visit the Robins in today’s quarter-final having faced each other in a thrilling Wembley showdown last August.
Back then, Papua New Guinea star Lam’s dramatic Golden Point drop goal broke Rovers hearts and delivered Leigh’s first Cup glory in 52 years.
But the brilliant stand-off insists their appetite isn’t sated and they’re desperate to go back-to-back.
Lam said: “Once you’ve done something so special it’s hard to imagine doing anything else. The fire burns there.
“Every time we’ve talked about it since or someone’s brought it up, it is still emotional. A lot went into that day – throughout the year, throughout that week, [owner] Derek [Beaumont] really brought our families into it to get involved and there were a million things that went into it all.
“It was such a big relief to win. I don’t think they [Hull KR] have forgotten. I’m sure they’ll be fired up and ready for this. But we are too.”
The ex-Sydney Roosters playmaker claimed the Lance Todd Trophy when Leigh, coached by dad Adrian, secured their place in history.
They also reached the Super League play-offs last year in a dream campaign after being promoted.
But the Leopards, with injuries to influential captain John Asiata and fellow Dream Team member Edwin Ipape, are struggling this time.
They have won just one of six league games and were hammered 40-12 at home to champions Wigan last week.
But Lam insisted: “There were some good parts against Wigan – we started really well, some of our defence – but we’ve just got it in patches at the moment.
“We’re working really hard to put that into an 80-minute performance. We’ve some troops coming back in the next few weeks. We know they are playing good footy but they know what we’re capable of too.”
Lam is back fully firing after a huge gash to his leg against Leeds, needing 15 stitches, saw him miss last month’s win at Hull.
He said: “I had a very similar one, but a little worse, on my other leg with a surfing accident.
“So I’d seen something like it before and the worst was going through my head because, back then, that was a big process trying to fix it.
“But our doctor Nicola did a brilliant job and it’s fully healed now.”
KR have already picked up five Super League wins and they knocked Leigh out of last season’s play-offs.
Boss Willie Peters said: “People are plotting things around the [Wembley] game from last year and what happened.
“But not us – it’s a different game and a different year.”