ADRIAN Lam and his staff are doing maths homework to ensure Leigh Leopards pass their Super League play-off challenge.
Leopards return to Leigh Sports Village on Saturday for the first time in 64 days.
They do so against Huddersfield Giants, nine points worse off than sixth placed Catalans and with 12 games of the regular season remaining.
Those dozen fixtures include two matches each against bottom of the table London Broncos, Castleford Tigers and St Helens.
Lam’s side also face: Wigan, Hull FC, Salford, Warrington and Hull KR plus this weekend’s visit of struggling Giants.
In the last two seasons, 28 points were sufficient for Warrington and Salford to finish sixth and qualify for the play-offs.
Leigh’s historic season in 2023 saw them amass 32 points. They currently have 11.
“There is a sum we have got in mind and we have got to win 90 percent of (games) them,” says Lam of Leopards bid to gatecrash the top six.
“I think we would have beaten any other team in the competition the way we played,” he added of Leigh’s performance in a 24-6 losing effort at leaders Wigan last Friday.
“We can probably have one or two more slip-ups but that’s it. We have addressed it to the team but I don’t want to keep talking about it every week.
“It zaps me of energy. I am going to make a commitment to myself that I am not going to look at the ladder for the next three weeks and let it just play out.”
Huddersfield have won only one of their last eight league and cup outings. And last week’s 48-0 defeat at Warrington led to a public apology from owner Ken Davy.
“There are a lot of questions being asked in and around the place so I think they will want a response from the group,” said Lam. “We have prepared for it being 100 miles an hour at the start.
“But we have got to manage that process and come out on top.”
Winger Josh Charnley will be given until the 11th hour to recover from a rib cartilage injury suffered at Wigan. Darnell McIntosh looks favourite to deputise if Charnley isn’t fit.
* Prop Robbie Mulhern and skipper John Asiata are available to face Huddersfield after both were fined £250 for incidents in last Friday’s defeat at Wigan.
Mulhern was found guilty of a grade B dangerous contact offence while Asiata was punished for a grade B head contact.
*Zak Hardaker is the latest Leigh player-after Tom Briscoe and John Asiata- to make the switch to Hull FC from next season. The 32-year-old, who is in his second season with the Leopards, has agreed a two-year deal.
*Winger Mollie Young scored a hat-trick to take her season’s tally to 14 as Leopards’ women defeated Salford 44-4 to record a 10th Championship victory.
Other scorers were: Freya Turner, Charlotte Melvin, Storm Cobain (2), Hattie Dogus and Rachel Porter. Melvin also landed two goals.
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