VIDEO: Leeds Rhinos’ marquee signing Konrad Hurrell impressed by wing partner Ash Handley

Hurrell made his first appearance for Rhinos three days ago, playing on the left-flank inside homegrown winger Ash Handley.

The Oulton Raiders product bagged a brace of tries, both off passes from Hurrell and was named man of the match in Leeds’ 26-24 defeat by Castleford Tigers.

Handley, 22, averaged a try every other game for Leeds last year, playing mainly as a centre and has touched down three times in two pre-season matches.

He has big shoes to fill as Leeds’ new number five, taking over from club legend Ryan Hall, who joined Sydney Roosters at the end of last season, but Hurrell believes the England Knights star has a bright future.

“I’ve only known him for the last couple of months, but seeing his highlights and stuff he is a terrific young player,” Hurrell said of Handley.

“He can finish well so all I have to do is give him a bit of space and he will finish his job.

“He scored a couple of tries [on Sunday] and it could have been more if I had done my job, but it was good to have someone outside that can help me as well.”

The defeat to Tigers, in Kallum Watkins’ testimonial game, was a disappointing way for Hurrell to begin his Rhinos career, though he had the Leeds fans on their feet with some powerful carries.

“It was good to get the first run out of the way, but obviously we didn’t come out with a win,” Hurrell reflected.

“It is more of a learning process these games and it was a very important game for Kallum.

“We will learn from it and move on from it.

“The first time with the boys and first time for the club, at home as well, I did enjoy it out there.

“It would have been better with the win, but I guess that’s what footy is all about.”

Hurrell insisted the result against Tigers made little difference to how Rhinos will approach the final few days of pre-season before the Betfred Super League opener at Warrington Wolves on February 2.

“The hard work never stops,” he said.

“Even if we had won we would have to learn from our mistakes and from what we did well. We need to start better and finish better, that’s what we can take from it.

“You don’t want to chase games, we will work hard on that and see how it goes.

“It was a starter for us, we are rebuilding and it looks like we are going in the right direction.”

It will obviously take time for Hurrell – and fellow imports Tui Lolohea and Trent Merrin – to get used to British conditions, but he reckons coping with the weather here is part of the job. The temperature hovered just above freezing for much of last Sunday’s match, which is a far cry from what he was used to at his previous club Gold Coast Titans.

But he stressed: “We’ve been training in it and it turned out all right, I thought it would be worse.

“I have always said I have just got to get on with it, I am here to do a job and I am happy to be here.”

Hurrell, 27, has played in England before, during the 2013 World Cup but the game three days ago was his first at Emerald Headingley. Even with a crowd of 6,087 he felt the atmosphere was special.

“It was exciting, just to see the fans getting involved,” he reported. “I could hear the drums and how loud they [the fans] were right from the start.

“The respect they have for the game, we have got to respect that as well.

“It was good to see it.”

Coach Dave Furner is expected to field a second-string team, similar to the one which won 60-0 at Doncaster earlier this month, when Rhinos travel to Featherstone Rovers for Sunday’s final pre-season game.