Lam returns to family roots

Adrian Lam will be returning to his family roots at the Magic Weekend — his mum is a scouser!
A scouser is a person from the English city of Liverpool.
And the Warriors coach admits he has grown up with an affinity for Liverpool, venue for tomorrow’s clash with Warrington.
Lam’s mum Jennifer was raised on Lynhome Road, off Priory Road — just a Joe Lydon drop-goal distance away from Anfield.
She met his father in Rabaul, Papua New Guinea, shortly after her family emigrated to Australia.
But she never forgot the city where she was born and raised and Lam, a former Queensland and PNG captain, even considered representing Great Britain during his playing career.
Lam revealed: “My mum is a scouser, born and bred. I grew up learning all about Liverpool.
“Even now, if she sees someone from Liverpool or family, her scouse accent comes back out and I’m like, ‘Mum, what are you saying?!’
“When I was a kid, my grandfather used to send me over Everton flags and my grandmother the Liverpool flags, which is why I’m one of the few people who support both clubs — I didn’t want to be one or the other.
“My grandparents have passed and a lot of that side of the family, the Sales, now live in Ireland.
“But when I played here at Wigan (from 2001 to ‘04) my grandma – and great grandma – were alive and I used to travel down there all the time to see them. Even now, I like going down there, just for lunch or to go shopping.”
Lam’s PNG and Queensland heritage have been well-documented because of his stellar playing career which saw him captain the Maroons in State of Origin while play for PNG. But little has been published about his Liverpool ancestry until now.
“My mum’s brother had an illness, tuberculosis I think, and they advised the family to go to warmer climates so he got a job running a college in Melbourne,” Lam revealed.
“From there, they had a good offer to go to Rabaul. When they got there, on their way from the airport to the college, they stopped at a Travelodge to get some dinner, and there was a band playing on stage.
“My dad was the lead singer of the band, and they start dating soon after.”
Through his mum’s nationality, Lam has English citizenship and he seriously considered playing for GB during the height of his playing career with Wigan.
“I got an inquiry if I’d make myself available in 2003, and I was thinking about it,” he said.
“But I remember Terry O’Connor saying to me, ‘Don’t so that — do that and I won’t talk to you again’. I think he took it personally and it got me thinking about whether (it was right).
“But I thought about it. Even (son) Lachlan could play for England if he wants to, he qualifies.”
Lam has two friends over from Australia and is planning to show them around the area where his mum was raised ahead of the Magic Weekend date with the Wolves. – wigantoday