Zane Tetevano - Leeds Rhinos are on to a winner says old boy Adam Cuthbertson

Tetevano arrived in England yesterday (Tuesday) and will quarantine for five days before being tested for coronavirus.

If he returns a negative result, he will be cleared to join his new teammates in pre-season training.

The New Zealand Test prop played alongside Adam Cuthbertson - who left Leeds to join York City Knights at the end of last season - for Australian NRL club Newcastle Knights.

Cuthbertson has spoken highly of Tetevano to Rhinos’ management and vice versa and predicted he “will be great” for Leeds, who have arranged an opposed training session against York on Thursday, March 4.

“He is the ultimate professional,” the Aussie forward said.

“I spent a bit of time with him at Newcastle; we were a bit younger then, but he has come a long way - he is a really good turnaround story in the sense he sort of fell out at Newcastle then found his feet again through playing local park rugby in the Central Coast district.

“He worked hard, found himself a gig at the [Sydney] Roosters and has played in Grand Finals. He is an international player and he works really hard - he will be a great addition to that Leeds team.”

Last season's player of the year Matt Prior has yet to arrive back in England from Australia.

Cuthbertson played in last October’s Challenge Cup final win over Salford Red Devils, but suffered a fractured shoulder in that game which ended his Leeds career.

“My shoulder’s good,” he confirmed. “I have been training with the boys since we returned from Christmas.

“The only thing I haven’t really been getting stuck into is the contact side of things, but basically I am full on with the team training stuff and starting to get the ball in hand again, which is great.

“It feels like it has been such a long time since my injury so it was really exciting to get back after Christmas and get stuck in.

“It is shaping up well, the fracture has healed completely and I am just continuing to work on improving the strength going forward.”

It was a bitter-sweet afternoon at Wembley for Cuthbertson, who added to the Cup medal he won in 2015 - and his Grand Final rings from that year and 2017 - but was denied an on-field farewell because of the injury.

“That’s just rugby, isn’t it,” he said.

“You play in those big games and people are throwing their bodies about left, right and centre so you are bound to pick up something.

“It’s just unfortunate I had to make it my last game for Leeds, but what a way to go out.”

Cuthbertson, who is celebrating his 36th birthday today, has signed a one-year deal at York “with the potential option to go around again”.

He said: “I haven’t been thinking too far down the track.

“Obviously you only get one crack at having a professional rugby career so I’d like to see it out as long as I can, but I also wouldn’t want to fizzle out.

“When it’s time, I will know. I am not the type who will sit there and say otherwise just for the sake of going around again.

“There’s kids in this team that are really starting to get some momentum and deserve spots in the team and a crack at putting their best foot forward.

“Come the end of the year, if I don’t feel I am in a position to challenge them any more, so be it, but we’ll have that chat later on in the year.”

Alongside playing for Leeds, Cuthbertson coached Rhinos’ women’s side to four trophies in two seasons, including a Challenge Cup-Super League double in 2019. He is an assistant-coach to the England women’s team and confirmed: “I’d definitely like to get a bit more involved in the men’s game, it’s something I aspire to do.

I am currently finishing my sports directorship course at Salford University, which is also something I am very much interested in getting involved in.

“I am really just trying to get a better understanding of how the organisation operates as a whole before I make those decisions - see where I feel I fit going forward.

“One thing I do know is I want to give back to the game of rugby league and help it grow from strength to strength; whether that’s in England or Australia I don’t know, but I suppose time will tell.”

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