Why Brad Dwyer is relishing his combination with Kruise Leeming and feels Leeds Rhinos are in good shape for their Super League derby against Huddersfield Giants

A switch from starting hooker to the bench has not fazed Leeds Rhinos livewire Brad Dwyer.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

With new signing Kruise Leeming suffering a pre-season injury, Dwyer started Rhinos’ first seven games this year and has been among the substitutes for the past two.

Now in his third year at Rhinos, Dwyer’s early-season form earned him a new contract until the end of 2022, but Leeming’s recovery means there is strong competition for the number nine role.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The former Warrington Wolves man insists he is happy with that and believes it is a winning combination.

Brad Dwyer. Picture by Bruce Rollisnon.Brad Dwyer. Picture by Bruce Rollisnon.
Brad Dwyer. Picture by Bruce Rollisnon.

“The partnership I’ve got with Kruise is great,” Dwyer said ahead of tonight’s meeting with Huddersfield Giants at St Helens.

“I thought Kruise was outstanding against Salford, as well as the rest of the middles - they dominated their pack and, when it’s like that, I am happy to just come on and do whatever I can and play a bit of the old role I had, just come on have a big impact on the game.

“But it is going to change week to week; there will be times when I get on after 30 minutes and times when I get on after 50 minutes.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“For me it is about being ready and, whatever situation we are in, playing towards that and trying to impact the game the best I can.

“It is fine and, as long as the team is winning, I am happy to do whatever role I am needed to.”

New rules have made Betfred Super League faster than ever since the restart following the coronavirus lockdown and Dwyer admitted he - and his team-mates - are still adjusting.

He accepted: “It has been difficult. I think it was because, as a team, we struggled.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Because we didn’t have the ball, we did a lot of defending and that makes it a lot harder.

“Momentum is massive under the new rules so, if you haven’t got the momentum, it is really difficult, as a player and a team.

“We have been focusing on trying to be better - look after the ball, simplifying things and playing fast.

“The new rules excite me, the speed of the ruck, so it should work in my favour, but the game has not changed - unless I and the rest of the middles do all the fundamentals right, win our rucks and stuff, you don’t really get the chance to do all that exciting stuff, the quick play-the-balls, because you are too tired from all the defending.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We are still coming to terms with it, but we’ve got a lot of exciting players - especially outside-backs - who will probably thrive the more we get used to these new rules.”

There were signs of that in the nine-try demolition of Salford, which Dwyer reckons made having Leeds’ next two games postponed all-the-more disappointing.

“We thought we were in a good spot to play the teams we were supposed to be playing,” Dwyer said of the matches against Wakefield Trinity last Thursday and Catalans Dragons four days later which were both called off because of coronavirus.

“Obviously you train all week and that’s what you look forward to, putting things into practice on the game day.

“It’s disappointing when you don’t get out there.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We did some decent work on the weekend when we had a bye [in the Coral Challenge Cup sixth round] and we felt like we’d done some of the stuff we needed to. We were a bit off fitness-wise and we did some work in the period we had off to fix that up.

“And we changed focus on to trying to play fast around the ruck, which we did well against Salford.

“Our middles were really good after being challenged so we feel we are improving, but only results and performances can prove that.

“That’s the next stage for us.”

Huddersfield have not won since the restart, but led by 20 points late on at Emerald Headingley last month before Rhinos staged a sensational match-winning fightback. And Dwyer said: “We are just focused on ourselves and momentum is massive.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“If we turn up and we’re poor, I don’t think it matters who we play against, we are going to hurt ourselves but, if we turn up and play like we did against Salford, look after the ball, be stiff in D [defence] and run hard, we will challenge most teams.

“If we don’t look after the momentum in a game, I don’t think it really matters who we play, so that’s the goal and focus for us.

“If we do that we will be fine.”

A message from the Editor:

Leeds has a fantastic story to tell - and the Yorkshire Evening Post has been rooted firmly at the heart of telling the stories of our city since 1890. We believe in ourselves and hope you believe in us too. We need your support to help ensure we can continue to be at the heart of life in Leeds. https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/why-yorkshire-evening-post-needs-your-support-laura-collins-yep-editor-2913382

Subscribe to our website and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Click here to subscribe. For more details on our newspaper subscription offers click here.

Thank you

Laura Collins

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.