Leeds Rhinos star sidelined for three months after teammate ruled out of Super League clash with Hull KR

Second-rower Morgan Gannon has been stood down on medical advice after suffering concussions in both his warm-up matches. Those setbacks followed a similar injury at the end of 2022 and a long layoff for the same reason last term.

The 20-year-old is Rhinos’ second long-term injury of 2024 after winger David Fusitu’a needed knee surgery which will keep him out of the team for around six-eight weeks. Leeds will also be without prop Mikolaj Oledzki for Thursday’s game at Hull KR after he was hurt in last week’s opening Betfred Super League win over Salford Red Devils, but second-rower James McDonnell is back in the initial squad following injury.

Speaking at his weekly preview press conference this afternoon (Tuesday), Rhinos coach Rohan Smith said: “Morgan [saw] the consultant last week and he has got a three-month layoff before going through the return to play process. That is pretty much how we expected, given the back-to-back head knocks. He has had no symptoms, no issues. He is training great, just no contact at this point until further notice. He is running and lifting weights and is going good.”

Gannon is regarded as one of the brightest prospects in Super League, having made his debut as a 17-year-old in 2021. Smith admitted the latest spell on the sidelines is a tough one to take.

“Particularly as he is not suffering any symptoms, it may be a little more frustrating for him,” the coach said. “But we are totally in support of the process to take care of his health. He has got everything ahead of him as a player and a person. In the scheme of life, three months is not that long, but as it’s happening now it can be a bit of a struggle so our whole club will support him and take care of him from every different perspective.”

The news on Gannon came three hours after Rhinos revealed Oledzki will miss this week’s game. Smith said: “He has got a bang to the shoulder and it is a short turnaround so he’s not quite ready in time. We are not too concerned at this point. He is having a scan later today just to confirm, but it’s nothing too major at this point in time.”

The injury is to the same shoulder Oledzki hurt at the end of 2022, keeping him out of Rhinos’ first six games last season. “That’s why we are getting it checked, but at the moment it’s just not going to settle in time,” Smith added.

Rhinos’ other first-choice prop, Tom Holroyd, remains on the injury list following knee surgery last year. Smith said: “Tom is getting close; he is getting some work under his belt. He is probably still a couple of weeks away, I would guess, but he is almost at that point where we’ll take it week to week.”

In a rare slice of good news, McDonnell could feature at Hull KR after recovering from a pre-season hamstring injury . He had been expected back for the home clash with Catalans Dragons on Saturday, March 2, but Smith said: “James has trained fully today. He is in good shape so we’ll see how he pulls up tomorrow. He has had a terrific rehab, he has done a terrific job and the medical team have got him back maybe a bit ahead of schedule.”