12 August 2023 , 20:20
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ICE-COOL star Lachlan Lam picked the perfect moment to slot his first-ever drop goal, firing Leigh to glory in the most dramatic Challenge Cup final finish yet.
For the first-time ever, rugby league’s Wembley showpiece went into golden point extra-time. And it was the Papua New Guinea stand-off who held his nerve for the side coached by his dad Adrian, sealing the club’s first Cup glory in 52 years with his 84th minute clincher. Team-mate Gareth O’Brien had already narrowly missed one effort for Leigh - who were playing in the Championship last year - and KR’s Brad Schneider was off target, too.
When O’Brien lined up his next effort, he was chased down by the Rovers defence so forced the ball onto Lam who’d dropped deep in anticipation. The brilliant No7, who’d orchestrated most of Leigh’s best moves, then delivered in front of around 15,000 ecstatic fans - more than a third of the Lancashire town’s entire population - to send them wild. Lam Junior, who also scored a try and won the Lance Todd Trophy while breaking Hull KR hearts, said: “It felt so special.
“I went to celebrate and then I was on my back. It was amazing. And it was my first professional field goal. I’ve never scored one before. I think maybe I got one in a reserve grade game! We've done a lot of work in the last month coming into this time of year. We want to play in big games and you’ll be up against quality opposition if you do.
“Gaz kicked one against Leeds and is cool, calm and collected. He doesn't miss many. But it comes down to mateship that we have that trust in each other. And he gave it to me.”
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Ex-Sydney Rooster Lam follows his dad who won the Challenge Cup as a Wigan player in 2002. Lam Senior: “I don’t want to make it about me and Lachlan. It’s a really special moment for all of us. It’s a great day for the club who last won this in 1971 and before that 1921. But I’m so lucky to have him playing for us.
Leigh Leopards' John Asiata lifts the trophy after winning the Betfred Challenge Cup final at Wembley (PA)"It was a really weird moment when the ball was thrown back to him and I thought ‘he’s going to win the game here.’ I’m really proud but I’ve coached him since he was six. What went through my mind is we've been heartbroken a few times before so it was serendipity.”
Enigmatic owner Dererk Beaumont, donned in his Leopards suit, led the race onto the pitch to begin celebrations for the club who now have Old Trafford on their mind, too. But it was more Wembley heartbreak for KR who’d been thrashed 50-0 here by Leeds on their last trip in 2015. Matt Parcell thought he’d rescued it for them by levelling the game with just 78 seconds remaining, Schneider converting a hotly-debated try.
But they wasted their second chance at glory in extra-time - Schneider sliced a penalty into touch - as Leigh, with Ben Reynolds scoring four goals, came home strongest. Leigh winger Tom Briscoe, who scored five tries against Leeds at Wembley in 2015, had also crossed in the 66th minute. Rovers had opened the scoring through Jez Litten and Schneider slotted four goals.
Lachlan Lam with the Lance Todd Trophy (Getty Images)Only 58,213 witnessed the occasion, partly due to a serious motorway accident that delayed thousands arriving. And Rovers’ Elliot Minchella harshly became the first player to be sin-binned in a Challenge Cup final since Bradford Bulls’ Shane Rigon in 2001 after he was deemed to have hit Rowan Milnes high and late after a kick in the 31st minute. But Robins’ only Cup success remains their 1980 glory. Gutted boss Willie Peters admitted: “It's hard to take. We went through so much but didn't handle Golden Point well. But if you look at that 80 minutes as a whole, we hung in, and it shows the fight and character in this side.”