LEIGH LEOPARDS head coach Adrian Lam has revealed that fullback David Armstrong will be out for a fortnight.
Armstrong hurt his quad during Leigh’s 18-14 win over Warrington Wolves last weekend and now Lam has explained the injury.
“Davey Armstrong is now out for two weeks with a strain,” Lam said.
“He got a cork in his quad and there is a slight train and tear but hopefully he will be back in time for the Challenge Cup.”
Lam believes that the club has got it right in terms of injuries this time around compared to this time last year.
“We got it wrong in the off-season last year, we lost our strength and conditioning coach quite late.
“We got a lot of soft tissue injuries and missed a lot of senior players in the first half of the season.
“It’s a bit different this time around, but we’ve got to keep working hard getting that consistency.”
With some of Lam’s stars carrying niggles, the Leigh boss was asked about the prospect of Joe Ofahengaue making his debut against Salford Red Devils following his move from Parramatta Eels.
“Joe won’t arrive until Friday morning so he probably won’t play in that Salford game.
“The smartest thing to do would be to include him in the 21-man squad. I’ve spent most of the time talking to him about his role here and importance of the timing of his arrival.
“He is going to give us some impact but it will take him six to ten weeks for him to give us his best rugby.
“Luckily, he has been starting in the NRL which should help him.”
Meanwhile, Lam has called for his Leigh players to be ‘ruthless’ against the Red Devils, though he does recognise the hardships currently being experienced.
“I’m sure it’s a difficult place to coach or play. It’s tough to coach at any club when you’ve got new players but having to worry about the salary cap and who can fit into it and who is being sold, it must be hard work,” Lam said.
“The matches they’ve played and the players that have been given a chance have been very lively. Sometimes it’s hard to play against if you don’t get your game right.
“It’s a difficult one for me because you don’t want to see anyone going through that as a rugby league player and being under the threat of not being paid.
“I’m sure everyone as a player, coach and fan feels for everyone involved but sometimes we have got to stay professional.
“If I feel too sorry for them then we might take that attitude into the game. We have got to be ruthless and make sure we take care of ourselves.”
