Leeds hooker Brad Dwyer has shared the disappointment of the Rhinos’ squad on the absence of young gun Harry Newman from this Saturday’s Challenge Cup Final.
The 20-year-old centre has been in sensational form this year but suffered a horrendous double leg break against Hull KR last month.
The injury will keep him out for a number of months and while Dwyer says it will be difficult for him to miss out at Wembley, it will make him cherish any future success even more.
“He’s come a long way has Harry,” Dwyer said. “It’s probably inevitable that he’s going to taste success at some point, so he was probably really eager for that.
“So to have that pulled away – a big occasion he thought he was going to be involved in – is disappointing for him.
“But I had a conversation with him after (the injury).
“Harry’s had a lot of things given to him because he’s so naturally talented, so it puts him in a fortunate position and sometimes you need a bit of adversity to enjoy the moments in the future.
“This patch will be tough for him.
“It will be tough for him to watch us play when he should have been with us but in the bigger picture, when he does taste it again at some point, it will make it a lot sweeter because of this experience he’s going through.
“That still doesn’t take the edge off the disappointment that we’ve got for him.
“He really deserves it for the way he’s been playing and how he’s been going about his business.”