Leeds Rhinos news: star's return v St Helens confirmed as coach admits 'didn't think it was possible'
The return of a key man’s “class and quality” will give Leeds Rhinos’ hopes of a ninth Grand Final win a huge boost, coach Brad Arthur says.
Speaking after Friday’s 22-6 defeat at Wigan Warriors, Arthur confirmed centre Ash Handley is now off the casualty list and available for the biggest game of the year so far. Handley missed Rhinos’ last four matches in the regular Betfred Super League season after suffering a groin injury in last month’s home win against Hull KR. Fourth-placed Leeds will play host to St Helens, who were fifth, in a sudden-death elimination play-off next Saturday and Arthur confirmed the co-captain will play.
Arthur praised rookie Max Simpson for the way he stepped in on Leeds’ left-edge after three years out of the game because of injury, but stressed Handley is the type of player teams need in the biggest fixtures. He said: “His leadership, he has really grown there this year and he has got some class too. Sometimes in those tight games, when there’s a bit of an arm wrestle, you need a bit of class and quality to step up and break the game up - come up with a flick pass or a grubber behind them or an offload or a line-break. He’s the sort of guy that can come up with that for you.”
The coach stressed Handley has “done extremely well” to beat the odds and be available for the play-offs. “We probably didn’t think it was possible,” he admitted. “But our high performance guys have done a really good job to get him right. Ash has had to buy into that and push himself to get himself right as well. It just shows the want and desire from him.”
Full-back Lachie Miller and winger Ryan Hall are also set to return against Saints, along with half-back Jake Connor following two games out with a damaged rib. Saturday will be Rhinos’ first in the play-offs since their defeat to Saints at Old Trafford three years ago and they haven’t had a home tie since 2017.
Leeds go into it on the back of successive defeats, to Catalans Dragons and Wigan, but Arthur insisted: “We are right in this competition now.” He stated: “There’s six teams still alive and every one of those teams will think they are a good chance.
“It is going to come down to who plays the best for that 80 minutes. We’ve beaten every one of the teams around us and been beaten by them in return. It just shows, any team can win the comp from here - that’s my view.”
Saints probably wouldn’t have been Rhinos’ first choice of play-off opponents, having won three of the sides’ four meetings this year. They are unbeaten against Leeds at Headingley in eight years and Arthur reflected: “We had a couple of frustrating games against them.
“We need to not worry too much about the past. We’ve talked about that, the 27 rounds has gone - you are only going to get remembered for what happens this week and then it’s a week at a time.”