Ball in Richie Myler’s hands over his Leeds Rhinos future, says Richard Agar

Myler has a year left on his Rhinos contract, but is unlikely to be first-choice scrum-half next season after Luke Gale joined the club from Castleford Tigers on a long-term deal.

Of whether Gale’s arrival means Myler will move on, Agar insisted: “That’s probably down to Richie a little bit. While the club were linked with numerous half-backs we were open with Rich and said we are looking at a deal for Luke, but we’re not really looking outside and beyond that.

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“Having an abundance of riches like that will strengthen us; at the same time we know Richie is an experienced half-back that wants to play first-grade – but he still can.”

Though Gale has not played since suffering an Achilles injury in pre-season, Agar stressed Rhinos have “done our diligence” and are “confident we’ve covered every aspect in terms of Luke’s fitness”. He said: “Luke’s form and impact on the game over the last three or four seasons – albeit he’s had some difficulties with injuries in the last couple – has been enormous.

“He has had a strong desire to make this move happen, which for us makes it extra special.

“We’ll have a superb leader playing half-back and he’ll give us a kicking game which is something we’ve been missing during my time here.”

Gale will turn 32 midway through next season, but Agar reckons his age can be an advantage in what is a relatively young squad. He added: “We feel we’ve got some of the best juniors the game has to offer already on our books and it’s our responsibility to make sure they become regular first-graders.

“I felt we lacked core leadership at times last year in terms of experience and what came from certain positions, so if we’re talking about succession plans and turning highly talented players into first grade, then it won’t do us harm to have a couple of 30, 31 year olds who know the ropes in our team. Luke ticks more boxes than just being a scrum-half with a kicking game for us.”