Huddersfield Giants v Leeds Rhinos: Tom Briscoe’s relishing his return against familiar foe

IT IS fortunate Leeds Rhinos winger Tom Briscoe is not superstitious.
Tom Briscoe makes final preparations for tomorrow's match against Huddersfield Giants. Picture: Varley Picture Agency.Tom Briscoe makes final preparations for tomorrow's match against Huddersfield Giants. Picture: Varley Picture Agency.
Tom Briscoe makes final preparations for tomorrow's match against Huddersfield Giants. Picture: Varley Picture Agency.

Briscoe is set to return from injury against Huddersfield Giants tomorrow, a year to the day after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in a win over the same opponents.

Rhinos will go top of Betfred Super League if they win their first match for 150 days and Briscoe admitted he is “looking forward to it, probably more than most”.

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The 30-year-old, Rhinos’ player of the year runner-up in 2019, will go full circle when he pulls his boots back on and insisted: “I am not superstitious, it is just one of those strange coincidences and I’ll just get on with it.

“I didn’t realise until I was doing one of my projects at uni and went through the data and saw what date we came back and looked at what date the injury was.”

Because of coronavirus, Leeds haven’t played since a 66-12 win over Toronto Wolfpack on March 5, a week before Briscoe was due to make his comeback.

“It has been a long time – and a long, frustrating four months to try and get my head round it and to keep up to where I was [before the season was suspended],” he said.

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“I am definitely ready to play now, I am doing everything and all that’s left to prove is to tick off that first game.”

Tom Briscoe in training. Picture: Phil Daly/Leeds Rhinos/SWpix.com.Tom Briscoe in training. Picture: Phil Daly/Leeds Rhinos/SWpix.com.
Tom Briscoe in training. Picture: Phil Daly/Leeds Rhinos/SWpix.com.

Briscoe was due to return away to Catalans Dragons on March 14, but the game was postponed after Rhinos decided not to travel.

“It was pretty tough,” he recalled.

“Seeing the finish line and then, the day before, getting it taken away, I was pretty gutted.

“After the Catalans game got called off it probably took me a couple of weeks to get my head around it, but I got over that and got stuck back into my rehab’ and training as much as I could do to try and keep in the best possible position for when we did eventually get back.”

Tom Briscoe in training. Picture: Phil Daly/Leeds Rhinos/SWpix.com.Tom Briscoe in training. Picture: Phil Daly/Leeds Rhinos/SWpix.com.
Tom Briscoe in training. Picture: Phil Daly/Leeds Rhinos/SWpix.com.
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Briscoe’s reconstructed knee has had an extra 20 weeks to recover and he confirmed: “It is perfect.

“I’m probably in a better position now, I’ve probably benefited from having that extra few months, just mentally.

“I think physically I was there and all I needed was to have a game, but then to have that extra few months to get properly ready was good.

“I am doing everything subconsciously now and not thinking about it. That’s the hardest thing to get over.”

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Erasing Toronto’s results, after they pulled out of this season’s competition, moved to third in the table, one place place and two points ahead of Rhinos.

Briscoe, pictured above, warned: “We know we are in for a tough game.

“They are a big threat through the middle and on the edges and they are good in defence.

“We know we have to be on top of our game to get a win.”

With only 16 games remaining, Leeds can’t afford to start the way they did six months ago when they were crushed 30-4 by Hull in round one. The Toronto games have gone so we’ve had a couple of points knocked off,” Briscoe said.

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“We need to hit the ground running and start ticking off those two points as early as possible.

“We need to try and get back to the form we were in before the break.”

Tomorrow’s game will be played behind closed doors at Emerald Headingley.

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