'We'll think about Wembley later' - Leeds Rhinos are focused on Super League says Mikolaj Oledzki

The game – rearranged late last night after three players at scheduled opponents Castleford Tigers players tested positive for coronavirus – comes five days after Rhinos’ 26-12 Coral Challenge Cup conquering of Wigan Warriors and nine days before their Wembley date with Salford Red Devils.

Rhinos coach Richard Agar has named a strong initial squad, but is expected to rest most – and possibly all – of his Cup final line-up at Warrington Wolves in five days’ time.

Wembley is clearly the priority at this stage, but Catalans Dragons’ win over a fringe Leeds team last Wednesday and Wakefield Trinity four days later knocked Rhinos out of the top four in Betfred Super League and Agar’s men can’t afford to suffer a second-successive defeat in the competition if they are to qualify for the play-offs.

As far as Oledzki is concerned, that means Rhinos won’t risk having an eye on Wembley this evening and will be going into the game all guns blazing. He said: “With win percentage determining where we finish, league games are very important.

“From Thursday until the final we have nine days to recover so there’s no need to rest anyone.

“We want to win the game, it is an important game, especially playing Hull.”

As well as needing a victory to maintain their play-offs push, Rhinos also want to travel to Wembley with some form and momentum behind them, Oledzki said.

He added: “We’ve been going well every week, we’ve been quite consistent and it is important we take that consistency into the final.

“The only way of doing that is performing every week.

“We have got a chance to put another good performance out there and build that momentum going towards the final.”

This evening’s game is likely to be intense despite Hull coming to the fixture’s rescue on less than 24 hours notice, as the sport continues to require flexibility from its clubs since the sport resumed following the coronavirus lockdown.

No player wants to get injured before a Cup final, but Oledzki insisted that won’t be in anyone’s thoughts this evening and there will be no holding back when it comes to making or taking tackles. He said: “You are looking for that momentum for the team but, individually, you want to make sure you have a good performance behind you going into the final.

“The only way of doing that is giving it your all.

“You can’t really hold back, trying to prevent any injuries, because that’s when injuries occur.

“I am sure I and everyone else who plays [tonight] will be putting 110 per cent into it and nobody will be holding back or thinking about getting injured or anything like that.”

Oledzki made his Rhinos debut three years ago, in a Challenge Cup win over Doncaster.

At just 21 he already has 60 first-team games to his name and, if all goes well, he will, next week, become the first Polish-born player to feature in a Challenge Cup final.

The former England academy and current England Knights front-rower has been in explosive form since rugby league returned from the coronavirus shutdown, but insisted that comes from the team as a whole playing well.

“The individual good performances are infectious around our team,” he said. “When other people start playing well around you it helps bring out your best games.

“All the middles are playing well and our backs are doing an outstanding job so, when half of your teams plays well, that brings out the best in everyone else and that’s

when you get good performances.

“I feel like my good form comes from the really good performances of our team.

“What the backs do coming out of our yardage they set the platform for our carries.

“It is not just my form, it is deeper than that – it comes from the team.”

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