Coach Rohan Smith reveals Leeds Rhinos' injury latest and date for pre-season return
Leeds Rhinos loose-forward Cameron Smith has undergone surgery on an elbow injury, but will be fit for pre-season coach Rohan Smith has revealed.
Smith played 26 times for Rhinos this year, but is one of only two players from the Grand Final side not named in Leeds’ squad to face New Zealand at Headingley on Saturday.
Mikolaj Oledzki is in camp with England and Rohan Smith said: “Cam had a clean out on his elbow, that he’d been playing with for the bulk of the season.
“They found a few bits and bobs floating around in there that needed talking out. He is on the way to recovery and hopeful of starting the pre-season fit and healthy.”
Centre Harry Newman (hamstring) and prop Tom Holroyd (elbow) ended the campaign on the long-term casualty list, along with Jack Walker who spent time on loan at Hull, but Smith said no other players are booked in for off-season surgery.
“That’s pretty good news,” he said. “We’ve got a few guys who’ve ended the season injured, but nobody going for surgery, I don’t think.”
Teenage forward Morgan Gannon, who missed Rhinos’ semi-final win at Wigan Warriors and the Old Trafford loss to St Helens two weeks ago because of concussion, will not be involved against New Zealand.
Smith said: “He has just about finished off his return to play process. We made the choice not to attempt to accelerate that for the Grand Final or for this match, or for England Knights as well.
“Given it was his second head knock this season and he is an 18-year-old kid who has got a whole life of footy ahead of him, we thought it would be best to take our time with him and let him have a good off-season having been fully cleared and ready to go in pre-season.”
The players will be given a break after Saturday’s game, but preparations for 2023 will begin in less than a month’s time.
Smith said: “We have a lot of young players joining our squad from the academy and from outside as well. We’ve got a bunch of players who haven’t played much rugby since early September so there’ll be a bunch of guys starting on November 7 and a sort of rolling start.
“The more seasoned guys will be back at the end of November and those who go into the World Cup finals, we probably won’t see them before Christmas.”