Leeds Rhinos v Leigh Leopards latest team news & squads as teenage prospect 'close' to Super League debut

Teenager Presley Cassell has been named in Rhinos’ 21-man squad for tonight’s big Betfred Super League clash with Leigh Leopards at AMT Headingley after second-rower Morgan Gannon was ruled out for five games with an ankle injury. Arthur confirmed the young back-rower is “getting closer” to getting a first team chance.

“He’s not in the team this week, he will be 18th man,” the coach said. “We are just trying to make sure before we do throw him in we get him training with the boys, do the whole game day preparation and warm-up.

“He has already had one experience of that, just to settle his nerves so when he gets his first opportunity it is not new to him. That’s what we are about at the moment, just trying to prep’ him for an opportunity that might present in the future.”

Cassell has been training with Rhinos on a full-time basis since finishing school earlier this year. Arthur said: “We’ve got a lot of the young guys training full-time now their education has finished.

“It would have been nice for him to have a full pre-season with us. That’s not the case, he will get it next year and I think that’s how the young guys get better, with more training and pre-seasons. Then it gets to a stage where the only way you can give them experience is by putting them out there. You can only do so much training before you get to a point where they just need to play.”

Cassell has impressed for Rhinos’ under-18s and reserves this year and Arthur pledged he’d be confident about giving him a Super League game when the chance comes. “I would be, because of what’s around him,” he said.

“You’re not throwing him to the wolves because you are putting him in a team of players who know what their job is and what the standards and expectations are. They are only going to help him with his transition.”

The coach added: “I don’t know if there’s a formula about when a young player is ready, but some things that help with the decision are how the team’s travelling, how he has trained, where his confidence levels are, how he’s playing at the level below, confidence [in him] from other players in the squad and what you are putting him into, in terms of what players he’s going to have around him. All those boxes are ticked, it’s now just the timing of when it’ll happen.”

Rhinos’ academy are unbeaten this season and 11 of the club’s youngsters recently featured for Yorkshire under-18s against Lancashire. Arthur said: “All the young guys are training well at the moment. You don’t know what’s going to happen, but at the moment, Presley is the closest.”

Prop Cooper Jenkins will come into the 17 tonight in place of Gannon. Leigh coach Adrian Lam will select from an unchanged squad from last week’s win at Catalans Dragons, minus the suspended Alec Tuitavake.

Leeds Rhinos: from Miller, Newman, Handley, Hall, Croft, Oledzki, Ackers, Palasia, Bentley, McDonnell, C Smith, O'Connor, Lisone, Jenkins, Connor, Holroyd, Sinfield, Edgell, Lumb, Watkins, Cassell.

Leigh Leopards: from Armstrong, McIntosh, Niu, Hanley, Charnley, O’Brien, Lam, Trout, Ipape, Mulhern, Halton, Hughes, Liu, Davis, Dwyer, Brand, O’Neill, McNamara, Hodgson, Ofahengaue.

Referee: Liam Moore (Wigan). Kick-off: Friday, 8pm.