Alex Mellor: Leeds Rhinos forward would love a new deal and is excited about prospects for 2022

Mellor joined Rhinos from Huddersfield Giants on a three-year deal at the end of 2019 and says he is “excited” about what this term could have in store .

The 27-year-old is on the comeback trail from a knee injury which brought his 2021 campaign to a premature halt last August.

“It [coming to the end of his contract] is different this time,” he said.

“When I was out of contract at Huddersfield I felt really nervous and it sort of took over; every game it was on my mind.

“This time I am a little more experienced and a little more excited by it. I want to see what’s to come this year.”

Mellor stressed: “I’d love to stay at Leeds, Leeds is a great club, but I have got to fight for my spot at the minute.

“After having had a setback when I got injured last year, I feel like it has knocked me down the pecking order a bit so it is an exciting time.

“It’s a time where I can fight for my spot and see where that goes and probably explore other options and see where that goes as well. If I play well, the world’s my oyster I think.”

The number 11 jersey which Mellor wore during his first two seasons at the club has gone to new signing James Bentley for 2022, with the ex-Giants man now at No 15.

Mellor conceded: “I’d be lying if I said that didn’t bother me, it does bother you a little bit.

“I could’ve walked round kicking stones, but it did the opposite for me. I had it as the text on my alarm, so every morning when I woke up I could see I had lost that number and it motivated me to get up.

“It gave me that fire in my belly. Going into the last year of my contract, when you’ve got to be at your best, I have turned it into a bit of a positive - I have got to be 100 per cent and it’s motivation to do that.”

Mellor has played in both Rhinos’ trial games and was a try scorer in the 30-22 win at Featherstone Rovers two days ago.

He featured in the second half when some of Rhinos’ young and fringe players took over from the senior men who had built an 18-6 interval lead.

“Obviously I had a bit of a layoff last year so it’s nice to get any minutes in,” he stated.

“It was good to get some on Boxing Day and to get some more in the bank is really good.

“I am fully fit now and my knee’s all fine; I took a bang on my left knee in the first carry [against Rovers] which I was pretty nervous about, but it’s turned out just to be a bit of a dead leg, so all good.

“It was nice to get over and score, but I don’t want to waste them all in pre-season!”

Coach Richard Agar replaced all but two of his first half side during the interval against Rovers and Mellor, Brad Dwyer and Bodene Thompson were the only experienced players to feature in the final 40 minutes.

“For the senior boys, it was a game that’s going to prepare us, there’s nothing on the line,” Mellor reflected.

“It is a bit of a stepping stone to the season, but for the young boys it was a massive occasion, a chance to play first grade against a Championship team.

“For them to come on and thrive like they did and play so well, it was great to see.

“Some of them are lads that haven’t really been in and around the first team, they haven’t really trained.

“You can see they are a bit nervous; when you first step up to that level you don’t really speak, you just want to get under the radar and get your job done, but I thought they all did pretty well.

“I was really impressed with them. I thought Mackenzie Turner played really well, he has only had 20 minutes [training] in the team run and I thought Liam Tindall and Jack Broadbent, who both played 80 minutes, did really well as well.”

Rhinos have high hopes for teenagers Jack Sinfield and Oli Field, who were their half-backs after the break.

Mellor said: “They were both ready to take the line on.

“Oli [a back-rower] played out of position and did really well and I think Jack’s going to get better and better as he goes on.

“He is getting his confidence and he’s got his skill there and he really is willing to learn as well, which is something not all young people have got.

“He wants to listen, he wants me to tip him up on ways that can make him better when I am attacking against him and things like that, so he has got a really good head on his shoulders and I’m sure he will go well.”

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