Leeds Rhinos boss Brad Arthur names 3 players who've stood out in pre-season training
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Second-rower James Bentley, loose-forward Cameron Smith and returning hero Ryan Hall all earned a pat on the back from the boss, though Arthur stressed the squad as a whole are working hard ahead of next week’s Wetherby Whaler Festive Challenge against Wakefield Trinity.
Bentley had a long spell on the injury list with a concussion last year, before returning in a new role as a replacement, playing in the middle of the field. He is expected to revert to his more familiar position in 2025 and Arthur said: “It’s very hard to try and isolate one or two in particular, but I think James Bentley has trained really well for us.
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“I challenged him around his discipline and a few things in our review at the back end of the year and he has worked really hard on those. He has been very consistent, every session.”
Smith missed just one game in 2024 and will share captaincy duty with Ash Handley next term, which will be his 10th in Rhinos’ first team squad. The coach added: “Cameron Smith has done a lot of good things. He is looking a lot sharper under the football.
“Our forwards have done a lot of work physically to put themselves in a position where they are nice and run-fit, but also they’ve done a fair bit of work with Langers [assistant-coach Jamie Langley] off the ground and in the attack room. They have done quite a bit around getting up and down off the ground and the wrestle in the tackle.”
Winger Hall is back at his home city club, six years after leaving to join Sydney Roosters and then Hull KR, where he was a Betfred Super League runner-up last season. The veteran six-time Grand Final winner was signed in April before Arthur replaced Rohan Smith as coach, but the boss said: “Ryan has come in and he is showing the boys his level of professionalism and why he is still going at 37. He is training like a 20-year-old, he is training really well.”
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