Leeds Rhinos making excellent use of the loan market - Peter Smith

The 26-year-old joined Leeds this week and could make his debut against Warrington Wolves at Emerald Headingley on Friday.

He has a good pedigree, having spent five years with St Helens before a stint for NRL club Gold Coast Titans.

He was a Grand Final winner with Wigan two years ago and made 22 appearances last term, but has not featured for them in 2020.

An England player two years ago, he was part of the Knights squad in 2019. At 6ft 4, he is physically the sort of individual Rhinos have been looking for and will add some more competition for places in the pack.

The signing is not a reaction to the fact second-rowers Stevie Ward and Rhyse Martin have both been on the casualty list for the past two games.

Rhinos have coped very well without two of their most influential players – in fact, captain and vice-captain – and the plan is to use Greenwood in the middle of the field, rather than on an edge.

Leeds were outmuscled against Hull in Betfred Super League round one, when the need for some more size and power was obvious.

Prop Ava Seumanufagai missed that game through injury, but has played in the two since and Rhinos are a better side when he is on the field.

Matt Prior, the front-rower brought in during the off-season, also looks like being a good addition. He made 25 tackles and 115 metres with the ball against Hull KR two weeks ago and 44 tackles and 101 metres at Salford. He has conceded three penalties in the past two games but, playing in unfamiliar conditions, has nevertheless made a good start.

Big things are expected of young prop Mikolaj Oledzki, who was among the try scorers at Salford, but only three front-rowers is at least one too few.

A couple of things have prevented Rhinos signing an out-and-out prop.

One is uncertainty over when Dom Crosby will be available. Signed initially on loan from Warrington Wolves towards the end of 2018, he penned a three-year deal that October, but has not played a game since owing to a knee issue which has required several operations.

Rhinos’ management had hoped he would be available at the start of this season and certainly by now, which would have reduced the need for another front-rower.

Also, as things stand, Rhinos do not have a full space on their overseas quota. Nathaniel Peteru’s departure created half a spot and, if Australian-born Martin receives a Papua New Guinea passport, that will open another half-space. Rhinos and Martin are still waiting, with no indication when the issue will be resolved.

On top of that, the NRL season has yet to get under way so the market Down Under is limited. Inevitably, once clubs there begin playing, players will find they are surplus to requirements and become available for a move to Europe.

The length of Greenwood’s loan, as Rhinos coach Richard Agar has explained, will allow Leeds to have a look at him and the player an opportunity to settle in and discover if he likes the environment.

By the end of his initial spell the situation regarding Crosby and Martin’s passport may well be clearer. If Greenwood operates as a middle over the next two months, does a good job and enjoys himself, the loan could be extended or perhaps made permanent.

Wigan have already allowed another forward, Romain Navarrete, to join Wakefield Trinity for the whole of 2020.

If not, Leeds will still have the option of bringing in another forward, possibly from overseas.

But should everything work out as hoped, Rhinos’ focus may turn to another position.

Agar is an admirer of Australian utility-back Jai Field, who played as a trialist for Parramatta Eels in a pre-season game last weekend.

Leeds have been monitoring Field for some time, but the priority this year has been a forward.

If Greenwood fills that gap, then Field may become more of a target, possibly for the second half of this season, if he’s still available.