Leeds Rhinos boss Brad Arthur reveals 'back-up plan' for play-making role as squad fitness status confirmed

Rhinos’ 26-man squad for next season includes only two specialist half-backs, 2022 Man of Steel Brodie Croft and Jake Connor who won the same award this year. Matt Frawley, Jack Sinfield and Morgan Gannon, who had spells in the halves last term, have all left the club.

Teenage play-makers George Brown and Fergus McCormack are training with the senior squad, but haven’t made a first team appearance and are yet to receive a number.

Brown is set to start at scrum-half in the Wetherby Whaler Festive Challenge against Wakefield Trinity on Boxing Day, with Chris Hankinson - a full-back or three-quarter - captaining the team from stand-off. A hamstring injury wrecked McCormack’s 2025 campaign, but Brown scored the winning try, as a substitute, in last year’s Christmas derby, was named academy player of the season and voted man of the match in the reserves’ Grand Final win against Warrington Wolves.

Having been part of last week’s warm weather training camp in Tenerife and featured in an opposed training session against Huddersfield Giants, Arthur revealed Brown is likely to be at the head of the queue if either Croft or Connor is unavailable at any stage next term. He said: “Every coach hopes your senior players and key position players can get through a season unscathed, but you have got to have a backup plan.

“We have got two really exciting halves in Crofty and Jake, but if one of them was to get injured, young Browny showed in our session against Huddersfield - and he is going to get an opportunity in the Boxing Day game - he is more than capable, with the support around him, to step up. Sometimes when you get an injury or have a player missing, it provides an opportunity for someone else. We always focus on who’s in the team, rather than who’s not.”

Leeds will field a second-string lineup this Friday, but Arthur expects to select from full-strength when Rhinos visit Leigh Leopards in Betfred Super League round one on February 13. “Touch wood, we have had a good pre-season,” he said.

“That’s a credit to our performance staff, Fergy [David Ferguson] our physio and Adam [Magretton] our performance manager, who have done a really good job looking after the guys, working them hard and building resilience, not just this year, but over the last 18 months. We have pushed guys to their limits to build that extra resilience in them.

“I think at this stage, when round one comes around - as it’s looking right now - I will have a full squad to choose from. Unfortunately, you don’t know in our game what happens between now and then. Fingers crossed we keep working hard and, for all the players’ sake, they are fit and healthy.”

Former co-captain Cameron Smith underwent off-season surgery on a back injury and winger Maika Sivo hasn’t played since suffering anterior cruciate ligament damage last January. The coach confirmed: “Cameron is training really well, he is in full contact. He’s not available for the Boxing Day game, but he’ll certainly be available for his testimonial [against Bradford Bulls on January 24]. Maika is tracking well and, everything going to plan, everyone should be available for round one.”