'3 bigs' tactic explained as coach Brad Arthur admits Leeds Rhinos 'have missed' injured ace

Prop Keenan Palasia has been named at loose-forward in four of the five games Smith has missed through injury, with James Bentley being 13th man on the team sheet on the other occasion. Palasia’s move from the front-row to back of the scrum allowed Connor Jenkins to come into the starting side, meaning Leeds have begun games with three of their biggest players on the field.

Smith suffered an ankle injury in the first half of Rhinos’ 32-6 win at Salford Red Devils on February 22. He underwent surgery and was expected to be out of action for eight-10 weeks, a timescale which could see him return in the second half of this month or early May.

Arthur reckons Rhinos have looked “clunky” near the opposition’s line without Smith, but the coach is pleased with the way the three-prop tactic has worked. “I’ve done it before in the past, back in Australia,” Arthur said.

“It changes your mentality a bit at the start of a game. Keenan has got the flexibility and a good skill level to play how Cameron played in his role at 13, then we’ve got Tom Holroyd and Sam Lisone coming on with a bit of punch off the bench.

“It also puts a bit more responsibility on the halves to get their hands on the ball and take a bit more control. I had these conversations with Cameron in the pre-season - there might be weeks when I need to start with three bigs and then bring him off the bench to get a bit of football in.”

But the coach stressed he is looking forward to having Smith back on the field and his comeback will boost Rhinos’ attack. He added: “I feel we have been a bit clunky at the try line on a few occasions without him there. Probably sometimes you take for granted what you’ve got until it is taken away from you.

“Cameron’s leadership has left a bit of a void at times. It has allowed other guys to step up, but we’ve missed his leadership on a few occasions - his control at the tryline is something we have missed - but it’s an opportunity for other guys to step in and take some ownership.”