'I’ll let my footy take care of itself': Leeds Rhinos' Sam Walters stays focused as contract nears end

The 22-year-old, signed from Widnes Vikings in 2019, is out of contract this autumn and has yet to agree a new deal with Leeds.

He has made only four Betfred Super League appearances in 2023, including last Friday’s 22-12 loss to Salford Red Devils and is understood to be attracting interest from rival top-flight clubs.

Coach Rohan Smith last week said he is keen to keep Walters, who has also featured for Rhinos’ reserves and on dual-registration with Bradford Bulls, but the player himself is refusing to get caught up in the speculation.

“I’ve nothing to say on the matter at the moment,” Walters told the Yorkshire Evening Post after last week’s game.

“I am still letting my agent talk to the club and I’ll let my footy take care of itself, then at the end of the season I’ll see what’s what.”

Walters was a Grand Finalist last year, but the home clash with Salford was his first senior match since March 25.

With back-to-back fixtures against Wigan Warriors looming, along with a home game against champions St Helens, Smith rotated his squad, resting Justin Sangare and Zane Tetervano and recalling Corey Johnson on the bench alongside Walters.

“I think I’ve trained well the last two weeks and Rohan has rewarded me for my work,” Walters reflected.

“There’s good competition for places in the squad so it’s about when I do get a chance performing well.”

The former England academy forward admitted being out of the 17 was “frustrating” but stressed he has put that to one side to help his teammates.

He said: “I’ve just got to try and do my bit for the team at training as well, help others and also keep that intensity and keep competing.

“I tried to play with aggression and I thought we played well as a pack, to be fair, but I will review my game and I’m sure there’ll be areas I need to improve.”

Rhinos will travel to second-placed Wigan on Friday bidding to avoid a third successive defeat.

Like the previous loss at Leigh Leopards, against Salford Rhinos conceded an early lead, scored a try on the stroke of half-time to get themselves back in the game and failed to build on that in the final 40.

Assessing what went wrong, Walters said: “It was just a bit of execution from us boys, not completing high enough, putting too much pressure on ourselves and giving ourselves too much to do, again.

“I think it’s nearly there, a couple more passes stick and we’d be on the other side of the result.”

That has been the story of Rhinos’ season so far, Walters reckons. He vowed: “I think the answers are in the team, not elsewhere.

“We will review and go again. We have got a big block this month, we play two of the best teams in the league so that’s a good chance to put your best foot forward against them.

“I see it as a challenge, but I’d rather play against the best teams. I think that’s when you test yourself the most.

Walters feels Rhinos can take positives from last week’s game into Friday’s clash with Wigan, where Leeds have won in three of their last four visits, including an epic play-off semi-final victory in 2022.

“I thought we had good shape,” he said. “It was just the ball didn’t stick. I thought the middles did well and moved round the pitch well and we dealt with [Salford’s reigning Man of Steel] Brodie Croft pretty well, for the way he has been playing this season. We just lacked a bit of discipline in respecting the footy, play-the-balls and stuff.”

Rhinos’ effort wasn’t in question and Walters conceded: “That’s probably why it hurts a bit more, when you see everyone trying - when you see Nene [Macdonald] taking 20-odd carries and the middles grafting like we are. It hurts a bit more when you’re grafting like we are, but that’s sport; we dust ourselves down and go again.”