Harry Newman has played just once all year for Leeds Rhinos – and even that was cut short by half an hour.
Two serious hamstring problems has affected Newman’s time on the pitch considerably in 2022 but new head coach Rohan Smith believes that the England international is not far away at all from returning to the field.
In fact, there was even a ‘small chance’ he could even play against Warrington Wolves, though Smith was keen to deflect such a possibility, having not named Newman in the 21-man squad.
“He will return when we all agree he has done enough work and ticked every box,” Smith stated.
“He has trained at a high level in practice and has really laid the foundation for his return.
“He has done a terrific job there and he’s in tremendous shape, but he still has a few things to get through to be eligible for selection. It could be a small chance this week, but a week or two yet.”
The Leeds head coach has been thoroughly impressed with the centre.
“He is a great character and good kid. He’s got plenty of energy to him and he’s an explosive athlete.”