Adrian Lam confirms dramatic arguments with RFL minutes before Wigan Warriors' defeat

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josie andrews
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Adrian Lam confirms dramatic arguments with RFL minutes before Wigan Warriors' defeat

Post by josie andrews »

The Warriors coach was left angry about the incident.

It was an opportunity to convince people they were capable of going the distance.

But the truth is that nobody at St James' Park will have left convinced that Wigan Warriors could, or will, win the Grand Final at the end of the season.

And it's not because they were poor. They weren't. If anything, it was one of their better displays of the season. They were gutsy, pugnacious and the ill-discipline that has been their undoing was not existent here. They completed high and penalties were few and far between. In many ways, this was a positive performance.

But the reality is that Wigan only managed to score six points and, if we're honest, rarely did you feel they would score any more than that.

Though their percentages were high, their creativity was not.

Adrian Lam has revealed the chaotic nature of the minutes leading into Wigan's defeat to Warrington after a ruling forced him to start changing his line-up.

Oliver Gildart pulled out of the game after picking up an injury in the warm-up and was ultimately replaced by Joe Bullock.

But the Warriors boss was informed that Bullock would have to start the match as a direct replacement, or forfeit a sub to put him on the bench.

That left Lam furious as he had to hurridly inform his players of the news. Wigan ultimately used just seven subs during the game so Bullock could go on the bench.

"It was just a nightmare in the dressing room because we were told Joe Bullock had to start in the 13 and we were disagreeing with that," Lam said.

"The chat was that we had to start him or lose a sub if we pick him off the bench.

"It was backwards and forwards and then you don't want to lose a sub. You're playing a top four match with your season on the line so you've got to make a decision or not whether you put the replacement straight in the starting team or lose a sub.

"I had to run around and honestly, it was five players to say if we've got to start the new man coming in he's going to play here, you're going here and you're going there. It was a s**t fight, it was a nightmare. I think the game might have been delayed a bit.


"It wasn't good, it wasn't ideal, I was telling players a minute before kick-off they weren't playing in the position they'd trained all week because of a ruling that said we needed to do it.

"It was quite frustrating and it upsets the players as well because you're in a position where you haven't trained all week and for what reason. The prep just before kick-off wasn't ideal for us."

But Lam was heartened by the performance itself, despite the Warriors falling to defeat.

"We didn't win the game but I felt that we got back to the team we were at the end of last year. That was a positive to take out of the game.

“There is a dressing room there that is heartbroken. We’re empty-handed but I felt it was the exact game we needed to get back to what we were.”

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk ... n-21490275
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Barney841
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Re: Adrian Lam confirms dramatic arguments with RFL minutes before Wigan Warriors' defeat

Post by Barney841 »

josie andrews wrote: Mon Sep 06, 2021 12:52 am
"It wasn't good, it wasn't ideal, I was telling players a minute before kick-off they weren't playing in the position they'd trained all week because of a ruling that said we needed to do it.

"It was quite frustrating and it upsets the players as well because you're in a position where you haven't trained all week and for what reason. The prep just before kick-off wasn't ideal for us."
Im pretty sure he does this most weeks
Caboosegg
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Re: Adrian Lam confirms dramatic arguments with RFL minutes before Wigan Warriors' defeat

Post by Caboosegg »

But then he didn't use all the subs anyway according to that article.

Although if its true can start a new rfl istargeting wigan for the SL splitt conspiracy. Ref calls have been dodgy this year and now in an important game, they force a larger disruption to wigan Hummmm where is my tin foil hat.

Whats more worrying is this also means we played better (not great but better) when Lam hasn't had time to organise what position everyone's playing.
Last edited by Caboosegg on Mon Sep 06, 2021 9:39 am, edited 1 time in total.
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ian.birchall
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Re: Adrian Lam confirms dramatic arguments with RFL minutes before Wigan Warriors' defeat

Post by ian.birchall »

Perhaps we would have played better if Bullock had started and Lam's ideas had been scrapped from the start??
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fozzieskem
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Re: Adrian Lam confirms dramatic arguments with RFL minutes before Wigan Warriors' defeat

Post by fozzieskem »

Barney841 wrote: Mon Sep 06, 2021 6:30 am

Im pretty sure he does this most weeks
This made me chuckle
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jaws1
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Re: Adrian Lam confirms dramatic arguments with RFL minutes before Wigan Warriors' defeat

Post by jaws1 »

Whats he complaining about its in the rules if a player pulls out after team given to the ref the player taking over the pulled player either plays from the beginning or we lose a substitution.He never used all the subs any way.
Wiganer Ted
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Re: Adrian Lam confirms dramatic arguments with RFL minutes before Wigan Warriors' defeat

Post by Wiganer Ted »

Lam would only be arguing with the RFL because he didn't know the rules. Head Coach for three years and he doesn't know the interchange rules? This is beyond funny and Lam is beyond clueless.

On a more serious note, perhaps this incident shows that to become a head coach one must pass a rules and competence test. If they had to maybe there'd be more understanding of why referees give certain decisions based on the rules and we get coaches and commentators complaining the decision was "harsh".

How on earth has this guy lasted this long when he doesn't even know the rules of the game?
Caboosegg
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Re: Adrian Lam confirms dramatic arguments with RFL minutes before Wigan Warriors' defeat

Post by Caboosegg »

Wiganer Ted wrote: Mon Sep 06, 2021 12:21 pm Lam would only be arguing with the RFL because he didn't know the rules. Head Coach for three years and he doesn't know the interchange rules? This is beyond funny and Lam is beyond clueless.

On a more serious note, perhaps this incident shows that to become a head coach one must pass a rules and competence test. If they had to maybe there'd be more understanding of why referees give certain decisions based on the rules and we get coaches and commentators complaining the decision was "harsh".

How on earth has this guy lasted this long when he doesn't even know the rules of the game?
To be fair to Lam its a moronic rule.
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Wiganer Ted
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Re: Adrian Lam confirms dramatic arguments with RFL minutes before Wigan Warriors' defeat

Post by Wiganer Ted »

Moronic or not that's the rule and Lam should bloody well know it!
If us speccies know it, Lam should.
It just beggars belief!
nathan_rugby
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Re: Adrian Lam confirms dramatic arguments with RFL minutes before Wigan Warriors' defeat

Post by nathan_rugby »

Wiganer Ted wrote: Mon Sep 06, 2021 12:29 pm Moronic or not that's the rule and Lam should bloody well know it!
If us speccies know it, Lam should.
It just beggars belief!
There is no actual benefit in terms of the game in knowing this rule though really is there?

If I understand correctly, he knew the rule before kick off so had a choice whether to start Bullock or not.

Obviously it doesn't look good post match that he is complaining / doesn't know the rule, but the outcome would have been the same regardless.
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