Leeds Rhinos' Luke Hooley waiting on Wembley decision ahead of Batley Bulldogs' 1895 Cup final v Halifax

Hooley made only his second senior appearance for Leeds in last Sunday’s 13-6 home defeat by Leigh Leopards.

He had been playing on dual-registration for Batley, the club he joined Rhinos from in pre-season, but was recalled after first-choice full-back Richie Myler suffered a long-term foot injury.

Hooley was influential in Bulldogs reaching their first Wembley final, but is now the only senior full-back in Leeds’ squad.

Rhinos coach Rohan Smith will have to decide whether to allow Hooley to play for Bulldogs this weekend, when Leeds don’t have a game, or to hold him back to avoid the risk of injury.

Smith will discuss the situation with Batley coach Craig Lingard and the player, who stressed: “Whatever the best thing is for me to do now is what I’ll do.”

He said: “I have said all along, if I can help them get to the final I’ll be more than happy to do that.

“Ultimately, you’d like to play in the big games on the big stages, but I am a Leeds player and I will respect their decision.”

Saturday will be a rare day in the spotlight for Bulldogs and a reward for years of punching above their weight in the second tier.

“It just tops off the three years I had there and what they’ve done as a club,” Hooley added. “They accepted me back this year and hopefully if I play at the weekend I can get a good win with them.

“I would love to play at Wembley, I might never get that opportunity again, but I am contracted to Leeds and will do what they decide.”

Whatever happens this week, Hooley is thankful for his temporary spell with Bulldogs. He said: “The Championship is a good standard, there’s a lot of good players in that league and a lot of tough battles when you don’t know who’s going to come out on top.

“I am grateful to them for the opportunity to go back and get some game time this year as well.”

Before Sunday, Hooley’s only previous Betfred Super League appearance was in a defeat at Hull KR in March when he had a tough night under a series of high kicks in difficult conditions.

Leeds didn’t get the result he hoped for on his return, but he felt he gave a better indication of what he is capable of.

“It was a tough game, they are a good side,” Hooley - who played for Batley in last year’s Championship Grand Final against Leigh - said.

“It could have gone either way, but it didn’t go our way. I thought I went well, it was better than my last performance for sure, but there’s still a lot of improvement in me.

“I am still finding my way in the team so hopefully I can get a few more games and get more consistency with the halves and time with them.”

Leigh tested Hooley with high and low kicks and he got through that unscathed. He added: “I have done it all my life, it was just that one game.

“The week after [the Hull KR game], I went to Batley and played against Featherstone and I was back to normal.

“It was just the one game for me, but obviously there was a lot of pressure on me, I put a lot on myself. I had to prove myself to the fans and hopefully I earned some respect back.”

With Myler possibly set to miss the rest of this season, Hooley could have a run of at least seven successive games for Leeds.

“That’s the main thing for me,” he conceded. “I’ve not had many games for Leeds this year so hopefully I can cement my spot until he is back fit and then make it a battle with Richie over who gets it [the full-back role].”

Rhinos’ chances of extending their season into the play-offs look slim after the loss to Leigh, but Hooley insisted: “We’re not going to stop fighting, we’ll fight until it’s impossible. Every player is gutted, but we know what’s at stake and we know what we’ve got to do.”