Leigh Leopards Head Coach Adrian Lam Uncertain About Matt Moylan’s Fitness Ahead of Crucial Wigan Warriors Clash
Leigh Leopards head coach Adrian Lam has revealed that the fitness of star player Matt Moylan remains in doubt ahead of Tuesday night’s pivotal derby match against local rivals Wigan Warriors.
Moylan sustained a rib cartilage issue during Leigh’s convincing 46-4 victory over St Helens on July 26th and subsequently missed the Leopards’ 20-10 win at Castleford Tigers last Thursday.
The rescheduled Round 2 clash at the Wigan Warriors’ home ground presents an opportunity for Leigh to extend their winning streak to five games and move within three competition points of the Super League play-off spots. However, Lam admitted that Moylan’s chances of featuring in the highly anticipated fixture are “50/50”.
“It’s still the case (that Moylan’s 50/50). We’ll make that decision just before kick-off, but obviously there’s still no Tom Amone and no Gaz O’Brien. We’ve got a few key players out there, but it makes it all the more interesting for fans.”
In addition to the uncertainty surrounding Moylan’s availability, the Leopards will also be without prop Tom Amone and utility back Gaz O’Brien as they observe concussion-related protocols following failed HIA’s.
The short turnaround between games has presented a challenge for Lam and his coaching staff, with Leigh facing three matches in just 10 days. Following Thursday’s victory at Castleford, the trip across the borough to Wigan will be the second of those, with a home game against Hull FC scheduled for Sunday afternoon (August 11).
Lam acknowledged the importance of managing his players’ recovery and rest, noting:
“You can bring them in, but there’s no point really, because you need the rest and the down time to get away from rugby in my experience. We’ve had a bit of a run through today, albeit about 30 minutes, so it’s really just muscle memory from the last month of rugby. You just have to make sure that your standards are high in these sorts of games because you can get fatigued very easily. We’ve got to look forward to a 80-minute performance.”
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