Leeds Rhinos will come good, insists old boy Mitch Garbutt

Garbutt was a try scorer for Hull KR when they crushed Rhinos 45-26 last week, leaving his former club two points adrift at the bottom of Betfred Super League.

With 10 of their 29 fixtures played Leeds are facing a battle to stay in the top-flight, but Garbutt reckons they will come good.

“I imagine they will [turn it around],” he said.

“There’s plenty of talent there, you don’t have players like Konrad Hurrell and Trent Merrin in your side and not expect to win games.

“They just need a few things to click and it nearly did click for them [last week].

“They will probably feel a bit unlucky a few things didn’t go for them, but we needed that win and it was really good for us.”

One Rhinos player who has impressed Garbutt this year is 20-year-old prop Mikolaj Oledzki.

He has effectively replaced Garbutt in Rhinos’ line-up, missing only one game so far.

Garbutt has seen at close hand what the Polish-born England academy and Knights front-rower is capable of and feels he gives Leeds hope for the future.

“A lot of the young kids have really improved this year,” he said.

“They should take a lot of confidence from how Mikolaj is playing.

“I have got big raps on him, you forget how young he is and how far he has come.

“A few years ago he probably didn’t know the finer points of the game, but he is doing a really good job at the minute.

“Jack Walker and Cam Smith are really playing well and they [Leeds] are not far off.

“It is only a matter of time.”

Garbutt will return to Emerald Headingley on April 28 when Rhinos face Hull KR again in what will be another crucial encounter at the bottom of the table.

The Australian prop has been one of Rovers’ top players this year and he said: “I am really enjoying it.

“It is a bit of a different role and I am playing longer minutes.

“I am really happy with my contribution and I feel like I am doing my bit in the team.”

The Aussie had a year left on his Leeds contract when he was surprisingly released last autumn.

Injuries restricted him to just nine appearances in 2018 and that is believed to be what prompted Leeds to part company.

“Last year was really disappointing and frustrating,” he said. “The team was struggling and I couldn’t really help them.

“Having to find somewhere else in the off-season was disappointing, but there are no hard feelings. I only live around the corner so I still go to a lot of their games and I see everyone. Probably once a week I catch up with someone.

“Matt Parcell still parks outside my house waiting for his coffee every morning.

“There’s no hard feelings, it is rugby league and I am lucky to have had a good career there.”