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What to say ahead of Saturday’s two Challenge Cup semi-finals, which will see the Wigan Warriors take on Leeds Rhinos, followed by Salford Red Devils take on the Warrington Wolves holders at Totally Wicked Stadium
Wigan’s legacy in the Challenge Cup remains as important to Adrian Lam now as it was when he joined the club as a player in 2001
Growing up in Brisbane, young Lam was transfixed by the exploits of Cherry and Whites in competing on this side of the world as they won the trophy eight times in a row between 1988 and 1995
The Papua New Guinea international went on to help Wigan’s success, scoring a try in the 2002 final victory over St Helens at Murrayfield, but this remains one of only three occasions where the 19 winners took up the challenge Cup in the era of the Super League
Now head coach of the Warriors, Lam is determined to bring the trophy back to the club and highlighted his legacy in the Cup to the squad’s young players ahead of Saturday’s semi-final against Leeds Rhinos
« It was one of the competitions I admired as a young boy in Australia, » Lam said. « I’ve always wanted to be a part of it as a player and that’s the main reason for which I signed with Wigan
« It’s been a part of the club’s history and to have won it just three times in the Super League era is an incredible statistic.We are aware of that and we have talked about it
🏉🗞 TEAM NEWS | Adrian Lam has named @WiganWarriorsRL’s 21-man squad to face @leedsrhinos this Saturday in the semi-final @TheChallengeCup #WWRL #ChallengeCup picTwittercom / V4f76jUEN1
« It’s really important to me in my philosophy that you understand where your roots come from and learn more about your predecessors who wore the jersey and brought success
« This is what creates the culture, history and legacy of a club, which is why people see Wigan as one of the greatest clubs of all time »
Sean O’Loughlin, Tommy Leuluai, Zak Hardaker and Liam Farrell are the only players from Wigan’s current squad to have won the competition – and even then the two Hardaker successes came with Leeds
All are part of Lam’s 21-man squad for the game, which sees the big guns recalled after six of the Warriors’ rising stars made their debuts in the Super League derby loss in mid-season. week against St Helens
Lam’s opposite, Richard Agar, would follow in his father’s footsteps if Leeds won the Challenge Cup this year
Allar Agar was the man in charge when Featherstone Rovers upset Hull FC holders with a 14-12 win in the 1983 final at Wembley, an occasion the current Rhinos head coach remembers always very good
Indeed, Agar has many fond childhood memories of her father’s involvement in competition as a player and coach
« Obviously the biggest one for me that I have made countless memories over the years is 1983, » said Agar
« I would have been 10 or 11 and watched Featherstone beat Hull FC at Wembley, and I remember pretty much the whole weekend
« My dad, as a coach at the time, was doing corporate things on those weekends, so I had many great weekends watching finals – especially in the years 1980s and early 1990s
« I have many good, long-term memories of the Challenge Cup and the magic it brings »
Agar was once part of a Challenge Cup-winning team, being on John Kear’s staff when Hull claimed a thrilling victory over Leeds in 2005, and led the team to Wembley as a man at the bar three years later, where they were beaten by St Helens
Leeds Rhinos head coach Richard Agar has named his 21-man squad to face the Wigan Warriors in the @thechallengecup semi-final this Saturday➡️ Read more here https: // tco / VNwcx2nujR picTwittercom / w8F3IWebiO
The Rhinos aim to reach the final for the first time since beating Hull Kingston Rovers to lift the trophy in 2015, and have Konrad Hurrell and Brad Dwyer in the running again, with Cameron Smith also returning from a cheekbone fractured
As Warrington celebrated Challenge Cup glory last year, Blake Austin had to look aside due to his absence due to an ankle injury
Wolves face Salford in Saturday’s second semi-final with the aim of making three consecutive appearances at Wembley, with the half-back determined to make sure that is the case
« I really enjoyed watching as a fan, but as a professional athlete it was definitely a bitter-sweet taste in my mouth having to sit down and watch him, » Austin said. / p>
« So the opportunity to go back to Wembley and make a Challenge Cup final is definitely something I really want to do
« All the boys who grew up in this country talk about their earliest memories of watching the Challenge Cup finals on TV and watching their heroes run, so this is a game I want to be a part of »
Steve Price’s side enter the game after seeing an 18-point lead after 36 minutes overturned by the Red Devils as they were out 20-18 in Tuesday’s Super League game
Stefan Ratchford returns to Head Coach Price’s 21-man squad for the last four clashes and is set to make his 250th Wolves appearance against the club he started his career at
📋 TEAM NEWS 📋🐺 Our 21-man squad has been nominated for Saturday’s Coral Challenge Cup semi-final against Salford Sal Powered by @OneEnergyPower picTwittercom / GEpQfRaNVq
Salford is aiming for another appearance at one of the biggest stages in the rugby league after making the Super League grand final last year
For assistant coach Paul Rowley, it couldn’t have been a better time to join Ian Watson’s staff after joining the club in the middle of last year
Former Leigh Centurions and Toronto Wolfpack head coach Rowley enjoys being a part of the Red Devils’ rise as they try to make sure the race to the 2020 Grand Final is not just a » only once regarding the competition for honors
« I think it’s just a bit of luck and what I noticed, living in the area, it was a privilege to get involved during this short time, » Rowley said
👥 Ian Watson named his 21-man squad for the @TheChallengeCup semi-final on Saturday! 🔁 There have been significant changes since Tuesday! 💪 #TogetherStronger picTwittercom / wCZwBzEplE
« In particular, the fans in and around the town of Salford – the number of people speaking when we got to the Grand Final who wanted to chat and the excitement in and around the place is contagious
« It made me feel really good about where I live and how Salford is represented as a town and a band
« The folks who run the club run the ship through truly turbulent waters by the minute and long the good times roll I’m sure having fun »
The Red Devils are bolstered for the semi-final by the availability of Dan Sarginson after he had a two-game ban overturned, with the center among the returning players after the midweek victory over Warrington
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Leeds Rhinos, Wigan Warriors, Super League, Richard Agar, Carnegie Challenge Cup, Luke Gale
News from around the world – GB – Challenge Cup: talking points from the semi-final of Saturday and team news
SOURCE: https://www.w24news.com
