Leeds Rhinos' Fergus McCormack reflects on Super League debut, thanks fans, looks ahead to huge St Helens game

The 20-year-old full-back was drafted into the side for last week’s 52-0 drubbing of Huddersfield Giants in front of a 14,000 crowd at AMT Headingley. “It was a tough challenge,” he reflected. “I learned a lot from it. Obviously it was good being surrounded by such a good team and halves like Jake [Connor] and Crofty [Brodie Croft] helped me out so much.”

The academy product was involved in a couple of Rhinos’ tries and it was his pass which sent Chris Hankinson over for the ninth and final touchdown. He insisted: “That just comes off the back of our set starts and things like that, Jake and Crofty getting us around the field and the middles working hard. I got something off the back of it, but it’s all credit to them.”

McCormack’s chance came after Man of Steel leader Lachie Miller was suspended for three games following an incident against Wigan Warriors a fortnight ago. Miller appealed, but that was rejected. “When I heard about his ban I just approached it as if I was playing,” McCormack – whose performance was praised by coach Brad Arthur – said.

“You might as well - if you’re not, fair enough, but if you are playing and you think you’re not, you are in trouble. I treated it like I was playing, I got a day of training with the first team on Tuesday and that went well, then on Thursday it was the captain’s run and I played [on Friday].

“It was definitely good. The team gave me a lot of confidence throughout the week and I felt good coming into the game.”

A product of the Guiseley Rangers community club, McCormack joined Rhinos’ scholarship in 2021 and progressed through the academy and reserves to make his first team debut as a substitute in this year’s Challenge Cup win at Widnes Vikings. That was Rhinos’ first competitive game of the campaign and came days after McCormack was given the all clear from a hamstring injury which had restricted him to just half a game for the second string in the previous year.

He was given a warm reception by Leeds fans at Friday’s game and reflected: “It was great, such a good atmosphere. Sometimes when you are playing you can’t really take it in, but at the end of the game the fans were so good.”

Rhinos don’t have a game this week and return to action in a top-two tussle with St Helens at Headingley on Thursday, June 4. Miller remains suspended for that, plus the following weekend’s visit to Toulouse Olympique.

McCormack is in pole position to take the full-back spot in those games, but stressed: “We’ll just have to wait and see. I will do as much as I can to get into the team. That’s Brad’s decision at the end of the day. I am just going to control what I can control and try to put my best foot forward.”

Even one Super League game is an achievement, especially after what McCormack went through last year. His older brother Ned McCormack is also a Rhinos player and suffered a similar layoff, also with a hamstring issue, at the same time.

Fergie said: “It is good for my family, they have been through it with me. My brother has had it as well so [playing last week] was a high for me and my family and I am grateful for it.”

Ned played in Friday’s reserves curtain-raiser and Fergus went on: “He gave me a few tips about how to control my nerves and stuff like that and said ‘you’ll be fine’. I got very nervous through the week; I did things to make my mind off it a bit, but obviously you still want to focus on the game. I tried to do what’s best for me and think I did an all right job of it.”

The visit of Saints will be one of the biggest games of the season so far. Looking ahead to that, McCormack said: “All the lads are dead keen to get over the top of them and rip into them.”