'Brick by brick': Leeds Rhinos' Sam Lisone on building form, pack stand-out Tom Holroyd and big game v Giants

Having played in six of Rhinos’ seven Betfred Super League fixtures so far, Lisone says there’s more to come from him personally as he adjusts to his new competition and club.

Lisone, who signed in October and missed much of pre-season, said: “I am probably just trying to get fitter, get more minutes in and slowly build my game around the team. I am still working on it and trying to find my feet, but I think I am getting there slowly.”

The New Zealand-born Samoa international has started only once for Leeds, in the round one defeat at Warrington Wolves and feels he is suited to his current role.

“I want to make some impact off the bench, lift the boys with some good carries,” he added. “Right now I think that’s the best for the team, coming off the bench. That’s what I want to be, whatever’s the best for the team.

“There’s some personal goals me and Rohan [Smith, Rhinos’ coach] are working towards and we’ll get there week by week and brick by brick.”

At 28, Lisone is one of the experienced heads in a young Rhinos middle-unit, which includes 22 year olds Holroyd and Sam Walters, alongside Mikiolaj Oledzki and Cameron Smith who are both 24.

“We’ve got good depth of front-rowers in our club,” Lisone noted. “Tommy Holroyd has probably been a stand-out forward and he had a massive pre-season too.

“That’s where you get a good season from, so credit to him. He is probably leading us forwards, so we are chasing Tommy.

“I want to pass on my experience where I can. We all have a good relationship and I’ll help them any way I can, but they are also helping me, pushing me so it’s good competition.

“I think the day you stop learning is the day you’ve got to throw your boots away. When you stop wanting to learn and you act like you know it all, that’s when you get caught.”

From a team perspective, Rhinos - who face Huddersfield Giants at Headingley on Sunday - are seeking consistency after an up and down start to the campaign which has yielded three wins from seven games.

Lisone is “excited” to be going up against some familiar faces, including his former New Zealand Warriors teammate Sebastine Ikahihifo, this weekend and reckons the key for Rhinos is a strong start.

“Against the top teams we have stood up, except for Warrington in round one,” Lisone said.

“We have got to respect our opponents more, that’s what we’ve talked about. No game is a light game, we have got to start the game hard and fast.”

Lisone is hoping for better conditions than last week, when Rhinos were sunk in the rain and wind at Hull KR.

“Hopefully it’ll be like the Catalans game, a dry pitch,” he said. “Myself, I love dry footy. Last week was crazy, but it is what it is.

“The Grand Final is played in the winter, in the cold, so you’ve got to learn to win in it. It’s not good sitting on the bench in the cold, but I’ll remember it.”

Sunday will be a big day in the Lisone household as his partner Georgia Hale makes her Rhinos debut against York Valkyrie in the opening game of the Betfred Women’s Super League season.

That is being played as a curtain-raiser to the men’s fixture and Lisone said: “She’s excited, she’s done a mini pre-season with the Rhinos girls and settled in with them.

“I am pretty excited for her to finally get a game, I’ll be getting there early to watch her and I’m pretty stoked she’s getting to pull on the Rhinos jersey.”

But he stressed: “We don’t really talk footy at home. It’s too much, we talk about what we’re going to eat, who’s cooking dinner, that sort of stuff.

“We are around it all the time, Georgia plays for the Rhinos and works for them, so it’s pretty good not to talk about it. Some days we do, but not all the time.”

Lisone and Hale both joined Rhinos in the off-season from Gold Coast Titans and having his partner here has made the transition easier.

“She’s a good signing for the Rhinos, it is good she is here to support me and also to contribute to the Rhinos,” Lisone said.

“It has been cool, I’ve settled in now. We feel fully at home, we’ve got an apartment in Horsforth, so it’s good.

“The boys and everyone are really welcoming - the club, the fans, especially when we play at home. They are probably the loudest fans I’ve played in front of.”