Leeds Rhinos v Catalans Dragons - Alex Sutcliffe plans to lead by example

Coach Richard Agar has named eight potential debutants in his initial 21-man squad as first-choice players are rested for Saturday’s Coral Challenge Cup semi-final against Wigan Warriors.

“It’ll be a bit weird, a bit different,” Sutcliffe admitted. “I haven’t got much Super League experience myself, but I’ve got more than quite a few who’ll be playing.

“I am just going to be me and try and lead by example. I try and do that every game, I’ll just try and do my best for the team.”

Sutcliffe has featured four times for Rhinos this year, twice in the starting 17 and is available after completing a two-game ban.

Catalans – who are on a three-match losing run in all competitions - are fifth in Betfred Super League, one place behind Rhinos, but for Leeds’ youngsters it is an opportunity to show they belong at the top level.

“I am really looking forward to it,” Sutcliffe said. “I think it’s exciting, there’s quite a few young lads playing and a few on debut so it should be good.

“It is really tough opposition, they have got some class players all the way through them, but we have got nothing to lose.

“We are just going to go out and give everything we can, every one of us.

“We’ve got a point to prove, us young lads, to try and push for places later in the season when there’s a few midweek games coming up.

“We’ll go and give it our all.”

Jack Broadbent, Levi Edwards, Corey Hall, Jarrod O’Connor, Liam Tindall and Sam Walters are all in line to make their first Leeds appearance, along with reserve team player Loui McConnell and on-loan Featherstone Rovers forward James Harrison.

“The talent we’ve got is immense in our young lads,” Sutcliffe said. “Some of the players people probably won’t have heard of – like Liam Tindall and Jarrod O’Connor - have really good talent and it’ll be exciting to see them play.”

Sutcliffe made his debut in similar circumstances three years ago when then-coach Brian McDermott rested many of his experienced players for a Super League game at Wigan a week before a Challenge Cup semi-final against Hull.

Injuries have held him back, but he gained valuable game time on dual-registration for Featherstone Rovers last year and has been in and around Rhinos’ 21 for much of this season.

“The two-game ban was very frustrating,” he conceded. “I was just finding my feet again and then another thing happens, but I am not going to let it bother me.

“I am happy to be back in the team and playing, it is exciting.”

Sutcliffe has played both at centre and in the second-row for Rhinos, but admitted he hasn’t decided which is his favoured role.

“I like both,” he said. “I like centre because of having a bit more free rein with the ball, but I like to tackle, I like the D [defence] and the nitty-gritty stuff.”

Of his performances so far this season, Sutcliffe said: “I am happy, I think I am going all right.

“I think Rich is happy with me and Webbo [assistant-coach James Webster].

“I’ve just got to keep doing what I am doing and hopefully I get better and better each time.”

Webster is also head coach at Rovers and Sutcliffe, along with the likes of Harry Newman and Callum McLelland, has been one of the successes of the partnership between the clubs.

Last year’s dual-registration spell gave him valuable game time at a high level and he said: “That helped me massively.

“At the start of last year I wasn’t enjoying my rugby, it was terrible – I wasn’t playing, I was training all the time so when I got the opportunity at Fev it helped me massively with my confidence.

“I owe quite a lot to Ryan Carr [Rovers’ then-coach], I thought he was awesome.

“Being at Fev and working with Ryan, it really stepped up my game.”

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Laura Collins