YEP Jury: Brad Dwyer can give Leeds Rhinos an invaluable quick-fire start at Wembley

MATT FOWLER

Two tricky fixtures out of the way. Injury free, Covid free and another glimpse into the future.

The Hull game was patchy and, really, the result was all that mattered. The Warrington game was encouraging in the sense that some of the youngsters look ready for more Super League games. Walters, Broadbent and Tindall would go well surrounded by more experience. My only issue is these games are okay as one-offs before cup finals but I fear there will be a few more ‘reserve’ games before the end of the season, which devalues it a little.

Don’t get me wrong, the youngsters will benefit hugely but the elite competition should be for high-end, high-quality games. By the time the Grand Final comes around, it will be a case of last man standing rather than best team wins.

It is now time to concentrate on the Cup final. Winning will be a huge step forward for this bunch of players, regardless of the circumstances. Leeds, with Rob Burrow on their shoulder, have the ultimate champion in their corner. It won’t guarantee success but my word it will help. Win it for Rob.

IAN SHARP

I’d like to start this week with a big ‘thank you’ to the players and staff of Hull FC for stepping in at such short notice to keep the Super League season ticking along.

And, for the first 20 minutes last week, they were much the better team. We had another slow start, and didn’t seem ‘at the races’ at all but, once Luke Gale got hold of the game by the scruff of the neck, we looked a different team.

We also have so much more go-forward when Brad Dwyer is at hooker.

I keep saying it but he needs to be starting at Wembley to get us off to the fast start we will need to keep a well-drilled and very well-coached Salford Red Devils side on their heels. It’s going to be very strange watching a final with nobody in the stadium.

And, for some players, it could be their only time they get to play in the iconic stadium so it’s quite sad they won’t have the sounds and atmosphere of a normal cup final.

It was the kids in action again on Tuesday night against Warrington Wolves and they gave another good account of themselves.

CHRISTINE KIDD

Covid struck again last Thursday as Leeds’ opponents were changed from Castleford Tigers to Hull FC with less than 24 hours’ notice.

Leeds made a shaky start and were soon behind. Two tries from Jack Walker and a Ash Handley hat-trick, combined with the introduction of Brad Dwyer from the bench, changed things and Leeds came out worthy winners.

Tuesday saw the ‘Baby Rhinos’ take on Warrington Wolves and, although they didn’t come away with a victory, they did show what the future looks like for Leeds Rhinos on the field. Jack Broadbent was the stand-out performer.

Richard Agar will have selection dilemmas before the Challenge Cup final on Saturday but, hopefully, the team that he chooses will get the job done.

Salford never know when they are beaten so the Rhinos will have to be at their best. It will be strange playing at an empty Wembley and, for some of the players, this will be their first major final. Let’s hope the Rhinos can get the job done and bring the Challenge Cup back to Leeds.

GRAHAM POULTER

Leeds played well against Hull apart from a few defensive issues that led to the Black and Whites scoring their tries.

We need to concentrate and tighten up in defence.

Tuesday night’s game at Warrington saw Leeds again use the opportunity to give the youngsters, or ‘Baby Rhinos’ as Barrie McDermott mentioned in commentary, a game and a few of them didn’t disappoint.

The game meant that coach Richard Agar had a double-edged sword to deal with in terms of team selection with the Challenge Cup final against Salford at Wembley on Saturday on the horizon.

You just have to focus on the game at hand and deal with the rest when Saturday comes around. I’m confident that Leeds can get the win on Saturday and give the team confidence going into the last few games of the season and hopefully gain a place in the top four, which, after Tuesday’s loss at Warrington, is looking in some doubt as regards win percentage.

However, there is a trophy on offer on Saturday, so focus on that and we’ll then see what follows.

DIANNE HALL

It was a well-deserved win, after a slow start, against the unexpected opponents of Hull FC and, once we got into the tempo of the game, I thought we played some attractive rugby.

Although Ash Handley took the headlines, there were other strong performances, notably from Jack Walker, in only his second game back since the resumption.

Tuesday’s game was always going to be tough against a full-strength Warrington but our talented youngsters gave a good account of themselves and, at half-time, were still in the game. The final score did not reflect their effort.

This weekend sees us take on Salford in a strange Challenge Cup final, with no fans, cup presentation or lap of honour! I am looking forward to an open game with two attack-minded sides.

It’s nice for Richard Agar to have a selection headache in a couple of positions (full-back/forwards).

Whoever is on Krisnan Inu’s wing will have their work cut out to keep him quiet, as will whoever is on Ash Handley’s wing! Come on boys, let’s bring it home for Rob!

ADAM ANDERSON

THE Games against Hull FC and Warrington Wolves in the last few days have been interesting.

Hull FC replaced Castleford Tigers owing to Covid problems and Warrington was the ‘Baby Rhinos’.

Hull FC came out on fire but we managed to pull together and get the win in the end.

Warrington was another good watch to see the talent we have in the academy.

I was particularly impressed with Jack Broadbent and Muizz Mustapha.

Now we are in the Challenge Cup final against Salford Red Devils on Saturday.

The nerves will kick in on game day, but it’s exciting to be involved in the big games once again. I hope that the lads can win the game, not just for the fans, but for Rob Burrow.

This week his documentary came out about his year with motor neurone disease (MND). It was a very tough watch for all of rugby league.

We are all very proud of Rob and his family.

We all hope Rob keeps fighting and raising much-needed awareness for this horrible disease.

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