Leeds Rhinos v Huddersfield Giants - Alex Mellor wants Super League bragging rights

Leeds Rhinos will feel at home in Sunday’s ‘away’ fixture, but forward Alex Mellor denies they have been handed a major advantage.
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Rhinos will restart their Betfred Super League season against Huddersfield Giants in the second part of an Emerald Headingley double-header also featuring St Helens against Catalans Dragons.

Leeds’ first game following rugby league’s coronavirus shutdown is officially a Giants home fixture, rearranged from February 9 when Rhinos’ round two visit to John Smith’s Stadium was postponed because of strong winds.

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The double-header will be played behind closed doors and Headingley has been chosen because of the stadium’s facilities, including multiple changing rooms.

“Obviously there’s no crowd and no home advantage or anything like that, but it is familiar territory,” Mellor - who joined Rhinos from Huddersfield last autumn - noted.

But he stressed: “I think we are going to be in the away changing rooms and probably the away kit, which will be a bit strange.

“There won’t be too much of an advantage, but just the familiarity might give us a bit of an edge.

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“At the end of the day it is just on a field in front of no crowd, so it can’t give us too much of an advantage.”

Alex Mellor is tackled during Rhinos' victory at Salford in February. Picture by Steve Riding.Alex Mellor is tackled during Rhinos' victory at Salford in February. Picture by Steve Riding.
Alex Mellor is tackled during Rhinos' victory at Salford in February. Picture by Steve Riding.

Mellor played in Leeds’ opening five games of the season before the Covid-19 shutdown in March.

He and his teammates began training two weeks ago and the second-rower said Sunday can’t come soon enough.

“It has been a long time,” he reflected.

“It is different circumstances, with no crowd - I would have liked to play this back in February - but I feel good.

Alex Mellor, right, moves in to collar Rhinos' Konrad Hurrell during Leeds' win over Huddersfield on August 2 last year. Picture by Bruce Rollinson.Alex Mellor, right, moves in to collar Rhinos' Konrad Hurrell during Leeds' win over Huddersfield on August 2 last year. Picture by Bruce Rollinson.
Alex Mellor, right, moves in to collar Rhinos' Konrad Hurrell during Leeds' win over Huddersfield on August 2 last year. Picture by Bruce Rollinson.
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“Training has been good, we’ve come back in great shape and the skills have been pretty sharp as well.

“We are looking pretty good. Without giving too much away, we are quietly confident about what we can do and what shape we’ve come back in, so we will see how we go results-wise.

“It’s just a case of turning up on game day now and doing the business if we can.”

Like Rhinos, Giants began the season in good form with four wins from their first five Super League games, though they were beaten last time out by Toronto Wolfpack in the Coral Challenge Cup.

Huddersfield's Matty English. Picture by Tony Johnson.Huddersfield's Matty English. Picture by Tony Johnson.
Huddersfield's Matty English. Picture by Tony Johnson.
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“I think if we had played this fixture [before the shutdown], everyone would have been raving about it - two in-form teams,” Mellor said.

“But it is completely different, there’s no real form, no video to watch about how they have been playing recently - it is all from months ago.

“It is all a bit of a guessing game, but there’s still certain trends you can look at that Huddersfield do and that they’ll look at that we do.

“You can try and get an advantage that way, but form’s out of the window.”

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With the season reduced to 20 rounds, neither team can afford a slow start and on a personal note, Mellor has an extra reason for wanting Leeds to get off to a flier.

He confirmed: “I’ve never played against one of my old clubs before in a competitive game so this is definitely something I am looking forward to.

“There’s a lot of familiar faces who I am sure will be looking forward to playing against me as well, so it should be fun.

I'm sure there'll be a lot of banter this week, especially from Matty English.

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“You don’t want to lose the bragging rights, to have to sit and look at those people knowing you’ve lost to them.

“It’s that extra little tiny one per cent of knowing the people and wanting to have one up on them that can hopefully spur us on to get the win.”

Giants moved into third place in the table, one above Rhinos on points difference, last week when Toronto Wolfpack’s results were expunged.

Mellor is keen to get back the two points Leeds have lost, from their 66-12 win over Wolfpack on March 5, as quickly as possible.

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“It’s annoying because we had a big points difference as well, it was a good performance from us in that game,” he said.

“It’s a shame, but I suppose everyone’s in the same boat.”

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