Leeds Rhinos: Forgotten man Walters out to make memories

Walters was one of the starting second-rowers in Leeds’ 23-6 defeat at Widnes Vikings two days ago. It was his first appearance since a 50-24 win at Salford Red Devils in the Super-8s on July 9 last year.

In the closed-season he slipped down the squad list from No21 to No30, but Rhinos’ injury crisis, which robbed them of 12 first-team squad members for the trip to Widnes, could mean an extended run in the side.

The 23-year-old former Yorkshire Carnegie rugby union forward said: “It has been a while and I have been biding my time and working really hard and just doing what I can.

“I have said this since I have been here, it is a blessing and a curse being at such a good team with such good players.

“It is hard to get in the team and when you do get in the team you’ve got to take your chances.

“To be honest, coming off the back of a loss you don’t feel like you have taken your chance.”

Walters was one of the players backing up from Rhinos’ trip to Australia to face Melbourne Storm in the World Club Challenge.

He had been expecting to play for a second-string side in a warm-up game against Hunslet on the day Rhinos’ flew Down Under, but was called into the 19-man travelling group at 12 hours notice after Anthony Mullally was ruled out due to a fractured finger.

“Obviously the travelling is tough and maybe missing out on a few more running sessions,” he said.

“I would have played against Hunslet, which would have been valuable game time, but at the same time it was good spending time with the lads and being around the first team in that environment.

“That [how much he benefited from the experience in Australia] will show over the next few weeks, but I am happy to be around the first team and to help the boys out and when I get my chance I’ll just take it.”

Mullally is hopeful of being available for Friday’s visit of Catalans Dragons, but Leeds are expected to again be without a host of first-choice players.

That could mean more opportunities for Walters, who scored the crucial try in Leeds’ 2015 Grand-Final win over Wigan Warriors.

Rhinos led 6-4 at half-time at the Select Security Stadium and were within a converted try of Widnes until nine minutes from the end, when the home side finally took control.

Walters said: “Hopefully I’ll get the chance and we’ll put in better performances than we did [on Sunday]. It is hard for me to focus on what I’ve done and whether I’ve had a good game or a bad game when the result’s a loss.”

But the back-row forward added: “We will go away and look at it and we’ve got to improve as a team.”

Walters was one of seven players making his first Leeds appearance of the season in last weekend’s game, but insisted that was not an excuse. He said: “We have been training together all pre-season. We have been putting in the hard work and we desperately wanted to win. What we put up wasn’t good enough.”

Of the players who came into the team, Walters added: “We are not here to make up the numbers. A lot of us have been training the longest in pre-season.

“A lot of the lads came in around Christmas, but I have been in from day dot. It is no excuse, we know what we needed to do and we didn’t do it in terms of game plan and how we’d have liked it to go.

“It didn’t go the way we would have wanted. No disrespect to Widnes, but people would expect us to go there and beat them. Just because we’ve got a weakened team, we don’t think any different.

“We want to win every game, whether it’s a big derby or a Sunday game. We need to do that if we are going to finish where we want to finish.”