Living the dream for Leeds Rhinos - Brad Dwyer has no regrets about not being signed by hometown club Wigan Warriors

Dwyer’s hometown club Wigan Warriors visit Emerald Headingley on Thursday and he insisted he has no regrets about wearing blue and amber in the game, rather than cherry and white.

“It was my dream when I was younger to play for Wigan,” Dwyer said. “That soon left when I played for Warrington - when I came through there it was Wigan and Warrington in finals and they kept doing a job on us, so there was a bit of hatred there, so that was out!

“But it was my dream when I was younger, because that was all I’d known - I’d sat in the South Stand and they were my team.

“But I think I am living the dream now, walking out at Headingley, so there’s no grumbles I am not playing for Wigan.

“It would have been nice, but it is a decent atmosphere to walk out on a Friday night at Headingley and hopefully that’s back soon.”

Dwyer was on Wigan’s scholarship as a 14-year-old, but said he was “fired off” by Dean Bell, the Wigan youth boss and former Rhinos player and coach.

“I was a half-back when I was younger and I wasn’t good enough,” he said.

He then played National Conference rugby for Ince Rose Bridge and was spotted by Warrington, making 75 Super League appearances for them before joining Rhinos in 2018.

With six half-backs unavailable, Dwyer confirmed a switch from hooker was considered before last Saturday’s Betfred Challenge Cup tie at St Helens.

Instead, second-rowers Rhyse Martin and Cameron Smith filled in and Dwyer scored a brace of tries off the bench as Leeds almost snatched a shock win.

He said: “I think Rich spoke about the option of playing me or Kruise [Leeming] at half-back, but I wasn’t good enough at 14 to play half-back, never mind 27 in Super League.

“We had a big physical team and the plan was to try and rattle St Helens, get some quick play-the-balls and then there were two nines who could run, so that was where our threat would come.”

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