Leeds Rhinos v Bradford Bulls latest Magic Weekend team news and 21-man squads as loan decision made
Australian forward Ethan O’Neill could resume his spell at Hull FC, but Leeds Rhinos won’t be doing new loan deals this season, their coach Brad Arthur says.
O’Neill is one of only three first team players on Rhinos’ injury list ahead of today’s (Sunday) Magic Weekend derby against Bradford Bulls at Everton FC’s Hill Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool, alongside centre Max Simpson and stand-off George Brown. He has returned to Rhinos for treatment after picking up a hamstring injury playing for Hull and Arthur confirmed he could rejoin the East Yorkshire club when fit.
“If they have got the desire to do that, we are still happy to let him get some time in Super League,” Arthur said. However, he insisted: “It’s getting to the stage now where we are getting a lot of requests for players [to be] loaned out, but we just need to lock down.
“There’s five reserves games left and 10 Super League games and our mentality now is we have done our bit. Guys have got enough game time and we need to lock down and make sure we keep them all in-house and go from there.”
Arthur stressed: “Ethan’s situation is a little bit different. He has been there for a while and done some training with them. He is quite comfortable there so his situation is different to the rest of them, but we won’t be loaning any more players out.”
Alfie Edgell and Ben Littlewood are now available after long-term injuries, but don’t feature in the Magic Weekend squad. Arthur has named an unchanged 21 from last week with centre Jack Bird, props Presley Cassell and Tom Nicholson-Watton and winger Riley Lumb included alongside the 17 on duty in the 34-8 win against Hull KR.
Bulls are without back-rowers Will Gardiner and Phoenix Steinwede who were injured during last week’s defeat by St Helens. Hooker Mitch Souter, prop Alfie Leake and forward Cameron Bate have been drafted into Bradford’s 21. Coach Kurt Haggerty admitted: “We are a little bit busted, but it’s the same mentality - next man up.”
Leeds Rhinos: from Miller, Sivo, Newman, Handley, Hall, Croft, Connor, Oledzki, O’Connor, Holroyd, Watkins, McDonnell, Palasia, Hankinson, Jenkins, Smith, Cassell, Lumb, Levi, Nicholson-Watton, Bird.
Bradford Bulls: from Aekins, Blake, Ryan, Nikorima, Sutton, Ackers, Russell, Mellor, Souter, Doro, Scurr, Hooley, Wynne, Armitage, Peposhi, Leake, Bate, Ruan, Atkin, Ormondroyd, Dean.
Referee: Tom Grant (Leeds). Kick-off: Sunday, 3pm.