Leeds Rhinos’ young guns stepping up to play-off challenge

Seventeen-year-old Morgan Gannon was Rhinos’ official man of the match in the 18-12 win over Huddersfield Giants two days ago, when six of the side were aged 21 or younger.

Another 17-year-old, Levi Edwards, warmed up as 18th man for Rhinos who were without 11 senior players through injury or suspension and picked up another fitness concern when Ash Handley went off with a groin problem in the second half.

Thompson played with the youngsters when Leeds fielded second-string sides before big Challenge Cup ties last year and believes they have the talent and attitude to get the wins needed to stay in the top-six.

“They have definitely been stepping up the last few weeks,” Thompson said of Rhinos’ rookies. “We have got quite a few long-term injuries so they are going to have to keep stepping it up and keep us in the race, but they have been outstanding all year.

“Last year when we rested some players, the young boys stepped up and showed what they can do.

“I remember the Catalans game and the one at Warrington, it was two young teams, they really made it a tight game and I don’t see why they can’t do it when it comes to the back end of this year.”

Rhinos held on to the final play-off spot after the win over Giants, which lifted their winning record above 50 per cent. Hull and Castleford Tigers are breathing down their necks, but Thompson reckons Rhinos will be involved when the play-offs begin next month.

“We have got to keep working hard at training and doing the fundamentals and I don’t see why not,” he insisted. “We can match it with anyone when we do our trademark things.”

The tough “grind” against Giants was good preparation for the games to come, according to Thompson.

“It was a good win,” he reflected. “Obviously we’ve got a lot of boys out at the moment. We’ve been hit all year, it has been a really rough, rocky year – and unlucky – when it comes to Covid and injuries.

“It was good to get the win with the circumstances that are going on at the moment. They are a good team, they have got a few out too, but you can see the style they play – they wanted to kick early and put pressure on us and try and make us make mistakes.

“They are trying to be a hard, grinding team so it suited us well – we needed to have a game like that. It’s good for the confidence of all the boys, especially the ones who are getting a crack.”

Rhinos are back in action on Wednesday away to Wigan Warriors and Thompson predicted: “It is going to be a challenge, but we are all buzzing at the moment.

“We all want to work hard for each other, but we’re kind of at the stage where these circumstances – with injuries and Covid – are the norm for us now, because it has been happening all year.

“Nothing surprises us, really. Things have been thrown at us left, right and centre, but we’ll just crack on and get on with it. That’s the mentality we’ve got.”

Support the YEP and become a subscriber today. Enjoy unlimited access to local news and the latest on Leeds United, With a digital subscription, you see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Click HERE to subscribe.