'It's good to get to Wembley, now let's go and win it' - Leeds Rhinos' Liam Sutcliffe issues rallying cry ahead of Challenge Cup final clash with Salford Red Devils

Sutcliffe reckons victory over Salford Red Devils in tomorrow's (Saturday's) Coral Challenge Cup final would be “massive” for Rhinos after some recent lean times in league and cup.

Both Leeds and Salford needed only two wins to reach the decider, after having a bye into the quarter-finals.

For the Rhinos man, that does not diminish the achievement - but he admitted winning the trophy is what really matters.

“It is well known how the last couple of years have gone,” Sutcliffe said.

“Everyone’s absolutely over the moon to be at a final, Leeds should be there or thereabouts every single year.

“We have not been where Leeds should be over the last couple of years and it’s great to get to a final, but the job’s not done yet.

“We want to take the trophy home.”

Sutcliffe is one of only four former Cup winners in Rhinos’ 21-man squad.

He was among the substitutes when Rhinos ended a 15-year wait for Challenge Cup glory with victory over Castleford Tigers at Wembley in 2014, but admitted: “I don’t remember too much about it.

“I just remember wanting to get out there and get some minutes on the pitch - and the celebrations afterwards.

“It was big for the club, they had been there however many times and come up short, so everyone was buzzing with it.

“It is good to have experienced it before, but that was a fair few years ago now and I am absolutely buzzing to get back there.

“I will just treat it like my first Challenge Cup final and I can’t wait to get out there.”

A crowd of 77,914 watched the final six years ago and Sutcliffe, 25 - the longest-serving player in Saturday's squad - described the prospects of an empty Wembley as “weird”.

With the game being played behind closed doors, only around 500 people - including players and club staff - will be inside the 90,000-capacity stadium.

“Everyone would rather have the stadium packed out with fans and all our families there, but there’s not much we can do about that,” Sutcliffe said.

“But crowd or not, everyone wants to come home with the trophy. It would be a lot better if a crowd was there and you get the full experience of the atmosphere, but it is out of our hands.

“We just have to go there and play well.”

Leeds are in good form, but Sutcliffe stressed Salford are “coming off a fair few wins themselves and a very dangerous team”.

He said: “From one to 17 we know we will have to be on our game to come away with a victory, but we are pretty confident at the moment and hopefully we can do a job and come away with it.”

Both finalists like to attack and Sutcliffe reckons Wembley will suit Rhinos’ style of rugby.

“It is a wide pitch and a big pitch,” he said. “I don’t know if the weather will affect it, but we will come prepared.”

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