Leeds Rhinos news: decisions made on Mikolaj Oledzki & Joe Shorrocks for huge Hull KR showdown
Leeds Rhinos coach Brad Arthur says he’s sticking with a winning formula for this week’s huge game against Hull KR.
Long-term casualty Mikolaj Oledzki and new loan signing Joe Shorrocks have been drafted into Rhinos’ 21-man squad ahead of Thursday’s visit of the Betfred Super League leaders. However, speaking at his weekly preview press conference today (Tuesday), Arthur revealed the players who thrashed Castleford Tigers 64-6 last Saturday are set for duty again.
Oledzki has missed four games with a fractured cheekbone and the coach said: “He is borderline, so it might be better to push him out another week. He has done plenty of training; physically, I don’t think he’s a guy who will ever lose too much.
“We just need to make sure he is in a good head space and he’s comfortable. It was a serious injury so taking that extra week will be the best thing for him. We will go with the same 17; those guys did a good job and we don’t really have anyone coming back anyway.”
Shorrocks is on loan from Salford Red Devils until the end of this season. He trained with Rhinos for the first time this afternoon and Arthur confirmed: “I won’t be playing him this week. We’ve got a long turnaround into next week’s game so we will see how he goes. It helps that he knows people here [former Salford teammates Kallum Watkins and Chris Hankinson] and he has got a wealth of experience behind him. He slotted in pretty easy and comfortable today.”
Outlining why Shorrocks was brought in, Arthur added: “We are only one injury in the forwards away from having no one to put there, really. I think with some of the games we’ve got coming up, it would be unfair to put some of those kids out there straight away. We’d like to ease them in in other ways, rather than in these big games.”
Shorrocks can play hooker, second-row or loose-forward. Arthur said the 25-year-old Wigan Warriors academy product will play “somewhere in the middle” when he gets his chance. He stated: “He competes hard and he can play a number of roles - it just depends on what’s needed and when it’s needed. He has come here looking for an opportunity and when you start getting some troops back it builds healthy competition for spots and keeps everyone trying to play and train their best.”
Eighteen-year-old Presley Cassell is set to retain his place as a starting prop, but a positional change will see Jarrod O’Connor come into the 13 at hooker, with Andy Ackers on the bench. Last week’s game was Ackers’ first start since March and Arthur said: “We gave him an opportunity and he came out and played really well because he knows Jarrod has been playing well.
“That’s what you need, everyone pushing each other for spots and being competitive. Jarrod will go back to the starting lineup this week because that was more around providing Ackers with some minutes and an opportunity. Jarrod had done nothing wrong and it’s only fair he goes back into the starting team. They are both jostling for that starting spot and they have got to play well, because if they don’t the other guy gets the nod. That’s good for our team.”
Ackers spent three months on the casualty list and played in Leeds’ reserves after returning to fitness, which Arthur admitted was a “fair kick in the teeth for a bloke of his stature”. The coach added: “Often I say to the players it is out of their control around team selection. The only thing they can control is their response to it. He has gone about it the right way and got himself an opportunity.”