Adrian Lam's praise for Wigan Warriors' 'game-changing' bench

Adrian Lam was full of praise for his homegrown bench of forwards who he credits for salvaging their opening Super League win of the season.

Wigan battled back from 18-0 down against Leigh on Friday night to claim a dramatic 20-18 victory. Jake Bibby scored two of their four tries but it was the unheralded work of his young substitutes which caught the coach's eye.

Academy-products Ethan Havard, Liam Byrne, Morgan Smithies and Joe Shorrocks got the nod for the bench, ahead of more experienced props Tony Clubb and Mitch Clark.

And Lam reckons their introduction helped swing the match in their favour as they shored up the defence and began eating metres with tough carries.

"Our bench were outstanding, and probably changed the game to be honest," said Lam. "Byrne, Havard, Smithies and Joe Shorrocks at the end, they were great. I was grateful we could save the game."