Zak Hardaker hopes to repay Leigh coach for his faith at Challenge Cup final
He joined the club at the beginning of the season after being released by fellow Wigan borough rivals Warriors
Zak Hardaker says he will do everything he can to win the Challenge Cup for Adrian Lam, after thriving under the care and attention of the Leigh head coach.
The Leopards are back in Super League this season, and have defied expectations by currently sitting in the top 3. They could cap off a return to the top by beating Hull KR on Saturday, and Hardaker says he has matured under Lam since moving to the Leopards.
"I've just settled," he told the PA news agency. "When I signed at Leigh, the big factor was Lammy wanting me, wanting to settle me down and get the old head switched on.
"I think he knows me better than me, to be fair. He just makes sure that I'm happy, not that I want that much. He makes sure everyone's home life is pretty good and wants that to be in order first.
Leigh's last visit to the famous stadium was 52 years ago while this latest trip will just be their second overall, so the magnitude of the occasion is not lost on Hardaker.
He said: "We've seen pictures from then - what they did and the parade they had and all the fans in the street. It gives you that buzz of what it means and we're going to try our hardest to recreate that."
Hardaker has only had to wait eight years for another crack at cup-final glory. Back then, his Leeds side demolished Hull KR 50-0 and he ended the season as the Super League's Man of Steel.
But in that same year, he was arrested for assault while in 2018 he was sacked by Castleford for failing a drugs test for cocaine before serving a driving ban shortly after being signed by Wigan.
Last year, he was released by the Warriors just days after coach Matt Peet said Hardaker had "dipped below the standards" expected of a Wigan player, but the 31-year-old has redeemed himself at Leigh.
"Winning the cup this weekend would mean everything," he added. "It would definitely be up there with one of the best achievements I've got so far."