Adam Cuthbertson: Why Leeds Rhinos' legend Ryan Hall will have no trouble making it big Down Under

When someone of Ryan Hall’s quality is off contract there’s always going to be interest.

I’m sure he has had plenty of offers in the past, but at 30 he realises it’s now or never for him to test himself in the NRL and if he didn’t go he’d be wondering ‘what if’ for the rest of his life.

There’s been a few hints this season so when he broke the news I was pleased and happy for him.

It’s sad we are losing such a good player, but he is a legend at Leeds and he has given the club such great service I don’t think anyone would stand in his way when he decides to go and have a crack at something he has always desired to do.

The positive is he is staying in rugby league. It’s not ideal for Super League to lose someone who will be remembered as one of the competition’s all-time greats, but if he goes over there and does well and talks positively about our competition here, that can only be a good thing.

Hally will fit in to the NRL really well. He’s a good character and I’m sure they’ll like him over there.

He’s what I’d call a positive weirdo – he’s a bit strange, but a really good bloke to have around the club and team and once he gets out on the field he will earn everyone’s respect.

It is not easy for an English player going into the NRL and not everybody makes it, but Hally will.

He will enjoy it in Aus, he has got the right attitude and the ability and they’ll enjoy him.

Sydney Roosters are a good fit for him.

They’ve got some very talented players in their backline, they’ve got some momentum behind them and they are only going to get better.

The thing with Hally is, he has been proving himself at the highest level, in internationals for England, for years now.

He’s played against Australia and New Zealand – and other teams who draw their players from the NRL like Tonga and Fiji – and shone every time.

I don’t think he has ever had a bad game for England, his scoring record is incredible and when he goes into the NRL he will stand out there as well.

I remember when Elliott Whitehead went from Catalans to Canberra Raiders.

He was outstanding in Super League, but playing in the NRL took his game to the next level and that’s been good for him, the Raiders and England.

We will definitely miss Hally, but he doesn’t have anything left to prove to anyone in Super League.

He has achieved everything on offer and he is chasing his dream, so I admire him for that.

What we want to do now is send him out on the right note, which is something we’ve been pretty good at in recent seasons.

There’s still a Challenge Cup final to aim for and it would be great to see him pick up another winner’s medal in his final year at the club.

It’s a big game against Widnes tonight, but bringing Dom Crosby in is going to give us a boost. Since Keith Galloway left at the start of the year we’ve struggled a bit in the front-row.

We’ve got good front-rowers, but lack a bit of experience and he’ll provide that. It’ll be good for my game having him in the team.

I see myself more as a loose-forward than a prop, I like to play with the ball and having someone like Dom alongside me gives me more opportunity to do that.

Also, I’ve been playing big minutes recently, probably too many over the last eight weeks or so. Sometimes that’s a good thing and at others it can damage your game.

He is going to come in and take some of the pressure off and from what little I’ve seen of him around the place, he will be a good fit.

It’s strange because he trained with us a week ago, then wasn’t cleared to play against Wakefield.

He came back in on Thursday, trained again and got the go-ahead this time. I’m sure he will be a great addition to our squad.

I’ll talk about it a bit nearer the time, but thanks to everyone for all the messages after the women’s team reached the Challenge Cup final.

It’s a great achievement in our first season and I’m proud of all the girls. It’s just a shame women’s finals day is being held in Warrington when all four teams involved are from West Yorkshire.