'My team-mate took his life... I never got to say goodbye': Adrian Lam on his emotional return as Wigan coach

[josie andrews]

Adrian Lam's former Wigan team-mate Terry Newton was found hanged at home

Lam is back as interim coach for 12 months until Shaun Edwards takes over

Lam will take charge for the first time at derby rivals St Helens on Thursday

‘I cried for days on end — it was heartbreaking.’ New Wigan Warriors head coach Adrian Lam is reflecting on the moment he received tragic news about his former team-mate Terry Newton.

Newton was found hanged in the loft of his home on a smart housing estate in 2010. He was 31, had two young daughters and had been suffering from depression.

‘We were very close,’ Lam adds when we meet in his office at the Warriors’ training ground. ‘He was inspirational — he changed the way I played.’

On Thursday night Lam, a legend of the game in his playing career, will take charge for the first time at derby rivals St Helens as this year’s Super League kicks off. It will be frantic, loud, wild - and in direct contrast to how he spent Wednesday afternoon.

At Lam’s request, Newton’s father Tony was called to the club to present Wigan’s debut-making players with their jerseys. From there he and Lam headed to the cemetery.
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Zak has been in a pretty tough place for 18 months,’ says Lam. ‘We’ve spent a lot of time and money on making sure he is in a good place with his head and heart and it’s something that needs to be long-term.

‘We’ve got welfare officers tapping into him every week, he sees a specialist every week, he’s seeing a therapist to make sure he understands what it’s all about. He’s been in a rehabilitation clinic for four or five weeks and he’s been great but it won’t be perfect all the time - there’s going to be highs and lows.’

Lam knows all about those. ‘A week ago my cousin committed suicide,’ he adds. ‘I was looking at the numbers and it is massive, probably the biggest growing issue. I’ve seen a lot of it. It’s pushed me to make sure I manage the person as well as the player.’

Dealing with adversity in his own life is something Lam is used to. The child of a Chinese-Papua New Guinean father and Liverpudlian mother moved from remote, volcanic Rabaul Island to Brisbane as a seven-year-old.

‘When Papua New Guinea gained independence they gave those who were mixed race the choice of staying or moving to Australia,’ he says. ‘There was two kids and dad thought it would be better for our education to go. I still remember now standing under a frangipani tree as we were leaving wondering what was going to happen.’

Told by many he was too small to ever make it, Lam, a tough but gifted scrum-half, would face a new environment when he left the quiet suburbs of Brisbane as a teenager to make a name for himself in the metropolis of Sydney. He did just that with the Sydney Roosters, while representing his country and captaining Queensland in the sport’s State of Origin series. After his stint at Wigan, he worked with a number of sides and is currently assisting Mal Meninga with the all-conquering Australians.

His move back to Wigan came out of the blue, but he had no hesitation on leaving Bondi behind. ‘People over there said “congrats but you must be f*****g mad - they’ve just won a comp!”’ he says.

It is a valid point. How will Lam motivate a group of blokes who won the big prize last year, and who know he will be gone next year?

‘One of the first things I did was to create a theme for the year, to give them reason to buy in for 12 months,’ he explains. ‘We made a pact nobody is to talk about it so I can’t tell you what it is! I knew for me to come in and make an impact they’d need something different. Only St Helens and Leeds have won back to back Super Leagues, which is a motivation.’.

His work has already been impressive. On Sunday, the wives and partners of the players were invited to the club. ‘To a coach, they are the most important people in the players’ lives,’ says Lam, whose own wife has remained in Sydney with his sons. Each was presented with a personalised gift from their other half.

We told them that we appreciate everything that we do and we know that there may be some challenging times ahead.’

Earlier in pre-season, every member of staff outside the playing operation came to the training ground. Each stood in front of the players, told them what their job was and why it was important. ‘It was like: “My name is Jenny and I work in accounts, I pay the bills”,’ explains Lam. ‘The point was to let everyone know we are in this together - never feel like you are on your own.’

Wigan will need that togetherness on Thursday night, when they face their well-fancied old foes. Lam, however, will need no reminder of how important this fixture is.

‘My first game for Wigan was at Knowsley Road (Saints’ old home),’ he reflects. I remember coming off injured and standing beside the dugout. I got hit on the head by something. I bent over and saw four pound coins by my feet. I held one in the air, put it in my sock, turned around said “thank you” to the crowd. They erupted.’

It is a challenging start. After Saints, Lam’s charges face Leeds before his old employers, Sydney Roosters, head to these shores for the World Club Challenge. There is a chance that Lam’s eldest son, 20-year-old Lachlan, will be part of the travelling party and may well make his own debut. Lam affords himself a smile at the prospect.

‘I’ve told him he’d better bring his shoulder pads,’ he jokes. After an hour in his dad’s company, you sense Lam Junior will be able to deal with whatever comes his way.

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