Leeds Rhinos' Lachie Miller talks adapting to Super League, 'tough' competition and 'freak' Brodie Croft

The Australian has a 100 per cent winning record in Betfred Super League, having missed Rhinos’ only defeat in the opening four rounds - at Hull KR - through illness. He had his best game so far in last week’s 22-16 win at Leigh Leopards, when Rhinos hit back from 16-0 behind at half-time feels he is beginning to find his feet. He is also “excited” by the potential in Leeds’ new-look squad.

For Miller, his debut season in England is all about new experiences. Conditions last weekend were the coldest he has played in and it was also the first time in his career he featured in a team which won the game after being so far behind at half-time.

“They were really strong in that first half,” Miller said of Leigh’s performance as they stormed into what seemed to be a match-winning lead. “They won the ruck and we couldn’t rope it back in. But the second half was a different story, we came out firing and credit to our middles for getting us going.

“Over here it is a really long season so you’ve got to learn to win a lot of different ways. The week before was a slog against Catalans in some pretty tough weather; [at Leigh] it was a fast track, but they just rolled us and we had to come back. It’s a real confidence boost for us to be able to do that.”

As for the elements, Miller admitted: “It was cold out there, to be honest. When they made us wait to start the second half, I was freezing. But I am getting used to it, each game I feel like I am finding my feet a little bit more and I am really enjoying it.”

Miller, 29, has only two years’ previous top-flight experience in rugby league, having played seven times for Cronulla Sharks in 2022 and made 12 appearances with their NRL rivals Newcastle Knights the following season. Though he grew up playing rugby league, his background before switching to the NRL was in rugby union sevens and he represented Australia at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

He admits he is still on a learning curve in Super League, but stressed: “It’s really tough, really physical. It is taking a little while to get used to it, I have still got a lot of footy in me, so it’s exciting. The group we’ve got, I love playing with these boys and I feel we’ve got a lot of growth.”

Miller is part of a new spine, with Rhinos’ numbers one, six, seven and nine all being new to the club this year. Stand-off Brodie Croft has already shown his class and Miller described the 2022 Man of Steel as “a freak”. He said: “I love playing with him and Frawls [scrum-half Matt Frawley] and all the boys. It is exciting being part of this team.”