Leeds Rhinos' Ned McCormack lifts lid on shock comeback ahead of Catalans Dragons clash
Rookie Leeds Rhinos centre Ned McCormack has reflected on his year-long injury nightmare and surprise return to first team action.
McCormack joined Leeds from rugby union two years ago and made his senior debut last season, when he featured three times. He scored his first Betfred Super League try during a defeat at Warrington Wolves in July, 2024, but suffered a hamstring injury in the process and didn’t play again until a reserves game at Castleford Tigers 13 months later.
Having had just 40 minutes of action with the second-string, he was called into the senior side for last Thursday’s visit to Huddersfield Giants, got through the full game and has retained his place in the 21-man squad ahead of tomorrow’s (Thursday) home clash with Catalans Dragons. The 20-year-old admitted his return was a shock to the system, but reckons he’ll be better for time on the field.
“I was pleased with parts of it,” he said of his long-awaited comeback. “It was definitely a harder return than I thought it would be. Only having 40 minutes in the reserves, I felt a bit unfit. Putting weight on has made it a bit harder for me to keep that endurance, but I really enjoyed it. There’s a few cobwebs to dust off, but apart from that, all good.”
McCormack - whose younger brother Fergus McCormack has been sidelined this year with a similar injury - wasn’t expected to play at all in 2025 so his return, at a time when Rhinos have a busy treatment room, is a bonus. Rhinos are low on numbers at centre with Ash Handley and Ethan Clark-Wood both on the casualty list. Max Simpson replaced Handley at Hull FC two weeks ago after an even longer, three-year, absence, but was ruled out of the Giants game because of concussion.
McCormack admitted: “It has been hard. I’ve had really bad luck with re-tears of the hamstring so it was definitely a step up, but for Brad [Arthur, Rhinos’ coach] to give me an opportunity was massive. He said he wouldn’t put me in if I wasn’t ready and that gave me the confidence. It has been a tough time, but to get rewarded with a Super League game was a relief. I’d played 40 minutes in 13 months and I definitely felt that.”
McCormack made a key contribution in the first half, when Leeds led 4-0, with a try-saving tackle on Giants’ Aidan McGowan. He reflected: “I felt like after a few erratic offloads and stuff, it was down to me to put everything I had into stopping that. Hopefully the team saw that as me trying to redeem myself.”
Leeds will secure a top-four finish and home game in the play-offs if they beat Catalans. The hosts are on a five-match winning run and haven’t conceded a point in their last two, but McCormack - who is vying with Simpson for a place in the side - warned: “They are another team that’ll give us a hard time, but to seal that home tie would be great.”