Leeds Rhinos talking points: shirt number two curse strikes, but pre-season ends on positive note

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There was bad news and good news for Leeds Rhinos when they rounded off their pre-season campaign with victory over Wigan Warriors in Ash Handley’s testimonial.

Star winger Maika Sivo sustained a freak injury which will write off the whole of his first season with Leeds, but Morgan Gannon made his long-awaited return and - as was the case against Wakefield Trinity at Christmas - there were some encouraging individual performances. Here’s five talking points from the 22-4 win.

1: Dam bad luck. Just when things seemed to be going swimmingly, wham - Rhinos crashed head-first into a dam wall. After all the ill-fortune endured by Maiko Sivo’s predecessor David Fusitu’a, it’s beginning to look like there is a curse on Leeds’ number two jersey.

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Leeds Rhinos' options assessed after wing star Maika Sivo ruled out of 2025 seas...
Leeds Rhinops teenager Harley Thomas pulls off a dramatic try-saving tackle on Wigan Warriors'  Noah Hodkinson. Picture by John Clifton/SWpix.com.Leeds Rhinops teenager Harley Thomas pulls off a dramatic try-saving tackle on Wigan Warriors'  Noah Hodkinson. Picture by John Clifton/SWpix.com.
Leeds Rhinops teenager Harley Thomas pulls off a dramatic try-saving tackle on Wigan Warriors' Noah Hodkinson. Picture by John Clifton/SWpix.com.

Sivo’s season-ending anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is - first of all - terribly sad news for a player who uprooted himself and his family from their life in Australia just a few months ago. It’s also disappointing for Super League as a whole, because the competition wants and needs players of Sivo’s ability to be on the field, exciting the fans and television viewers. And clearly, he is a huge loss for Leeds in the penultimate week of pre-season. Some established plans will have to be revised, but bad situations sometimes have positive consequences. Leeds may decide to bring in a winger at some stage, but rookie Riley Lumb showed last year he is up to the task, so this could be his time to shine.

2: Better news. It’s not all doom and gloom on the injury front. Durable hooker Jarrod O’Connor, who was set to miss the start of the season because of a knee injury sustained on Boxing Day, is now back running and has an outside chance of facing Wakefield in Super League round one.

Centre Max Simpson has returned to training after two years on the sidelines with an ACL injury, Tom Holroyd got through both warm-up games after his concussion issues last season and Morgan Gannon made his comeback against Wigan after not playing a competitive match in 2024.

Having been stood down for 12 months because of a series of concussions, Gannon played two 20-minute spells and seemed to come through unscathed. Though it will take Gannon, who is out of contact at the end of this season, a while to find his feet, he has apparently been training well. If he has some well deserved good luck,the second-rower will be like a new player in Leeds’ already-improved pack and, in the long-term, his return is a boost for England also.

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Maika Sivo's long-term injury could open the door for Leeds Rhinos' rookie winger Riley Lumb. Picture by John Clifton/SWpix.com.Maika Sivo's long-term injury could open the door for Leeds Rhinos' rookie winger Riley Lumb. Picture by John Clifton/SWpix.com.
Maika Sivo's long-term injury could open the door for Leeds Rhinos' rookie winger Riley Lumb. Picture by John Clifton/SWpix.com.

3: Positive signs. As coach Brad Arthur was quick to point out afterwards, Rhinos’ win over Wigan means nothing. Both teams will be a different proposition when they meet for real in Super League round five, but that said, it’s always better to win a game than lose it and there were indications Leeds are in better shape now than when their 2024 campaign ended in September.

It was hard to tell with all the changes, but Leeds looked fit and well organised and they built spells of pressure, which they struggled to do last year. Strong early carries from the wingers got them on the front foot and the pack, led by a reenergised Mikolaj Oledzki alongside fellow prop Keenan Palasia, took the team forward.

Behind that, the pivots combined well and the evolving link between stand-off Brodie Croft and Jake Connor, playing full-back, is an exciting prospect. Leeds need to cut out the errors and penalties which dogged them in the second-quarter, but overall it was an encouraging hit-out.

4: After the Boxing Day shenanigans, when he was booed by some Rhinos fans, Connor is beginning to win over the Headingley crowd. His remarkable conversion from the South Stand touchline, into a tricky wind, in the second half was a big moment.

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Mikolaj Oledzki showed up well for Leeds Rhinos in pre-season. Picture by John Clifton/SWpix.com.Mikolaj Oledzki showed up well for Leeds Rhinos in pre-season. Picture by John Clifton/SWpix.com.
Mikolaj Oledzki showed up well for Leeds Rhinos in pre-season. Picture by John Clifton/SWpix.com.

It’s very early days, but sometimes players who have been doubted in the past find a home at a particular club and perhaps that will be the case with Connor and Leeds. He has impressed teammates and coaches with his ball-handling ability and his kicking game gives Rhinos a new dimension.

While Connor’s temperament has been questioned at times, his ability is incontrovertible. If Leeds can get the best out of him - and a no-nonsense coach like Arthur may be the right man to do that - he will prove to be a real asset, because on his day, he boasts the x-factor skill which not many players have - of being able to create something out of nothing.

5: No doubting Thomas. A surprise name on the teamsheet for Rhinos’ two per-season games was outside-back Harley Thomas, a Dewsbury Celtic product who moved up from the scholarship to academy last year. He is under contract until the end of 2027 and has trained with the full-time squad in pre-season.

Super League is probably at least two years into his future, but he deserves a mention for his try-saving tackle on Wigan rookie Noah Hodkinson. It was a big play at a time when the game was already won, so he can be happy with his contribution and, across the board, Leeds’ kids showed up well in both pre-season games.

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