Hooker Corey Johnson could solve Leeds Rhinos' half-back puzzle for Magic Weekend clash v Castleford Tigers

Johnson was at stand-off when Rhinos beat Castleford, his hometown club, at last year’s Magic Weekend.

He filled in for Blake Austin that afternoon and Rhinos have similar problems for Saturday’s rematch, also at Newcastle’s St James’s Park.

Aidan Sezer is facing six weeks on the injury list with a hamstring injury, Austin (calf muscle) is expected to be sidelined for a third successive game, another play-maker, Jack Sinfield, has been unavailable for the past two matches because of concussion and academic exams and Morgan Gannon, who started at stand-off last week, is also on the casualty list.

That could mean history repeating itself for Johnson and he said: “We will see how the boys pull up.

“I will just train as normal, review as normal and see what happens. It was a great game last year and to come away with the win was great.

“It was my first time playing at Magic and it was a great experience so I’d really appreciate getting the chance to do that again, if it comes around.”

Apart from coping with their mounting injury woes, Rhinos have to get their chins off the floor following last Friday’s shattering defeat by St Helens.

Despite losing Sezer, Gannon and Harry Newman in the first half, Leeds led 12-4 at the interval and were only pipped by a drop goal in the dying seconds of golden-point extra-time.

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“It went right down to the wire, but I think we have to take some positives from it,” Johnson stated.

“I thought the boys put in a massive, massive effort and we have to review it and go again [this] week.”

Losing three influential players, including both starting halves, in less than 35 minutes left Rhinos with a mountain to climb, but Johnson insisted: “You can’t dwell on that.

“You’ve just got to play with the hand you’re dealt. I think the boys dug deep and kept turning up for each other and you’ve just got to go from there.

“We’ll take that effort and hopefully build into next week and the weeks after that. Like Rohan [Smith, Rhinos’ coach] says constantly, we just focus week-in, week-out. We are not looking too far ahead and we'll just take it as it comes.

“A few errors and a few passes might go the other way and we might come away with more points, instead of conceding points in other games. As long as we put that effort in in training and in games, I think we will be all right.”

Last week was Johnson’s sixth appearance for Rhinos this year, all of them off the bench. His regular role has been a late cameo, giving hooker Jarrod O’Connor a breather, but he got much more game time than expected against Saints.

The 23-year-old - in only his 13th first team game for Leeds - gave a good account of himself, playing out of position alongside Richie Myler in the halves and summed up how he felt after the game in one word: “Tired”.

He said: “It felt good to get some big minutes in. I am feeling good at the minute, it is just about developing week-in and week-out and trying to improve my game, more than anything.”

Johnson is in a difficult situation, as back-up to O’Connor who has emerged over the past 12 months as one of the most promising young hookers in the competition. But he insisted: “It is understandable.

“Jarrod is playing really well. He is consistent, he has been consistent since the end of last year and I think he has deserved the position he’s in.

“I have just got to take every opportunity I can. It [playing in the halves] is a different position to what I have played all this year, I haven’t really played any half-back apart from 10 minutes in the reserves.

“But it’s about interchanging and coping with what I’ve been dealt. I wasn’t happy, because we didn’t come away with the win, but for me it’s about developing my own game. I will review it like I do every single week and go from there.”