ADRIAN Lam refused to use injuries and suspensions as reasons for Leigh's 38-30 defeat to Catalans Dragons in Perpignan.

The Leopards ran out of luck in heatwave conditions, pushing the league leaders all the way but just falling short.

Coach Lam said: "It's frustrating really. We focused all week on getting our start right and we messed it up, but to give them a 20-point start and pin that back by half-time was incredible and we showed a lot of courage.

"I've got mixed emotions, frustration but pride at our courage and character, we hung in there to give ourselves a chance of winning it with just 12 minutes to go.

"If a couple of things went our way at the end we could have snuck the game.

"We've got four suspended and five injured so that's nine in total out at the moment, but every club's like that at this stage of the season.

 

"The players were given a role and stood up when it counted most. If Gaz O'Brien catches the ball we are three on one there but (Tom) Johnstone runs away and wins the game. That's how close it was.

"Edwin Ipape has been brilliant for us all year, he played another 80 minutes for us tonight which is so important for us.

"He got hurt but it was important that we kept him on.

"We rallied really well and showed great resilience, so I'm really proud of them."

Lam revealed no new injury issues from the clash apart from a potential shoulder problem for Umyla Hanley.

Leigh were missing four senior players through suspension but it was hard to tell as they competed from start to finish.

Catalans raced into a 20-0 lead thanks to tries from Arthur Mourgue, Ben Garcia and Tom Johnstone, but two tries from Ed Chamberlain and one from Josh Charnley put the Leopards back in it 20-18 at half-time.

Arthur Romano extended the Dragons' lead after the break but inspirational Leigh hooker Ipape launched another comeback with a try, then Tom Briscoe put Leigh in front.

Late scores for Garcia and Johnstone put the game beyond Leigh but their fans were left singing at the end.

Catalans Dragons coach Steve McNamara said: "It was a really difficult game and I knew it would be before we started. We're top and Leigh are third so it was always going to be good game, but for me it was a crazy match.

"It was a proud night for the Catalans, we had a big occasion today celebrating their culture, and we started the game really well which added to the atmosphere.

"We finished well too, but in the middle we lost the game. When they scored and went ahead with 15 minutes to go we were under pressure.

"I liked our start and our end but not the middle. We showed great tenacity after nearly throwing the game away to go on and win it.

"It was a great reality check for us. Lots of things have been going well for us in the last few weeks, we go to Magic and everyone talks about our performance then we beat Hull KR here and it's all going well.

"Today has given a real focus and something tangible to work on because our defence was just not acceptable for a team in the position we are in the competition.

"We won't stay there if we continue to defend like that and it's something we have to focus on right away."

McNamara revealed that second-row France international Mickael Goudemand had failed a Head Injury Test during the match and was undergoing precautionary assessment in Perpignan Hospital.