Leeds Rhinos are beginning to gel as a team admits Jack Walker

Walker crossed three times in last weekend’s 46-14 success which broke Rhinos’ duck for the season and under new coach Dave Furner.

For his first and third touchdowns Walker supported breaks through the middle by Kallum Watkins and Matt Parcell, but the second was brilliantly crafted by Tui Lolohea. He kicked through the defence and Walker ran on, gathered and stepped round the cover to score.

It was a good example of two players on the same wavelength, which wasn’t the case in Rhinos’ opening two defeats.

“With the new signings, new coach and people in different positions I think it’s just going to take some time to gel,” Walker pointed out.

“With my second try, when Tui put that inside kick in, we would not have done that two weeks ago.

“We haven’t done that through pre-season. It has all got to come together and it will just work out at some point and we’ll be really, really good.”

Walker was the star of the show for Leeds at Salford, but attributed his try scoring feats to “being in the right place at the right time”.

The result and performance have given Rhinos a boost of confidence ahead of tomorrow’s tough trip to St Helens and Walker insisted: “I have to give a massive rap to the forwards. It was a different performance from the Wigan game and I just scored off the back of that really.”

Walker received some criticism for his performance in the defeat at DW Stadium, but responded in the best-possible fashion.

“I don’t know any player who plays perfect every game,” he insisted. “Everyone’s going to have a bad game at some point, but it’s how you learn from that and go again. I am glad I reacted the way I did.”

As well as his three tries, the 19-year-old was strong in defence and safe under the high ball – all areas he has been focusing on and which will be tested tomorrow.

“It was just an all-round good performance, I think,” he added. “You could say the tries were reward for the hard work.

“I had a really good week building up to the game and my defence was miles better in the Salford game than the Wigan game.

“I looked a lot safer under the high ball as well.”

Saints have won their opening two games and have had almost two weeks to prepare for the visit of Leeds, who are on a short turnaround from last Sunday.

“We know Saints are a top side,” Walker warned. “The last time we went there we did a job on them. As I said against Wigan if we get our game plan right and we do what we need to do, I don’t see why we can’t go there and get the two points.

“It’s just about executing what we need to do. We did that well against Salford, which is why we scored so many points and played how we did.”