Leeds Rhinos will be without star full-back Lachie Miller for the next month, and Brad Arthur has already revealed his replacement.
Copping a Grade E charge for “unneccesary contact with an injured or potentially injured player,” Miller will miss matches against Huddersfield Giants, St Helens and Toulouse Olympique.
The Challenge Cup break will mean that Miller waits a further week before returning, and given that Leeds don’t have a reserve fixture on the weekend of the Wembley showdown, they cannot use the disciplinary loophole other teams have taken advantage of in the past.
Miller will be free to return for Leeds’ Round 15 game against Warrington Wolves at the Halliwell Jones, in what will be a timely boost given both sides are in contention for a top four, if not top two, finish this season.
In the meantime however, it raises questions as to who can replace him. Miller is a significant figure in the Leeds side, and his presence will certainly be missed.
Rhinos have a number of players who have played full-back before in their side, and there are plenty of options for Brad Arthur to consider ahead of Friday night’s game against the Giants.
However, after speaking to the press earlier today, Arthur has already made his choice, and, for this week at least, it will be Fergus McCormack who slots into Miller’s role.
McCormack will make his Super League debut if he plays, and it will only be his second senior appearance after making his debut against Widnes Vikings in the Challenge Cup earlier this year.
“We could have moved Chris Hankinson there and made changes, but we’ve got these good kids here and we said at the start of the year we’ve got depth. We need to back it,” Arthur said in his weekly press conference.
The youngster, and the aforementioned Hankinson, are among a few options that Arthur could go with across the next three games, and we have evaluated who else could take that spot, should the boss look elsewhere for their number one.
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Other Lachie Miller replacement options ahead of Leeds Rhinos v Huddersfield Giants
Chris Hankinson:
‘Mr Versatile’ Hankinson has played just about every position on the field in his career, and in his time at Leeds has played at centre, wing, stand-off, back row and full-back.
He featured in the number one role against Wigan Warriors at the end of last season, scoring a try in defeat. In his career overall, Hankinson has played just 12 of his 256 games at full-back.
Alfie Edgell:
This one depends on whether he is ready to return to action, but Edgell is the natural replacement for Miller. Coming through the ranks at full-back, he has mainly featured on the wing at senior level.
Edgell suffered a lengthy knee injury in the Boxing Day friendly over Wakefield, and was set to return in early April, however when asked around that time when he could be back in training, Arthur said the 21-year-old was still four to six weeks away.
The plan could be for him to feature in the reserve game against Castleford this week, before he makes his first appearance of 2026 after the Challenge Cup break, as Arthur looks to try a few different options in Miller’s absence.
Harley Thomas:
Another young full-back option is speedster Thomas, who was named in the club’s 21-man squad to face Wakefield Trinity a fortnight ago, suggesting he isn’t far off a Super League debut.
Thomas played for Yorkshire in the Academy Origin series last year, highlighting his potential as a future first-team player.
Ash Handley:
This one is certainly an ‘out of the box’ replacement given that centre Handley has been in fine form this season, so it would be a huge risk to move him from the edge.
However, there has always been a desire from the Rhinos stalwart to play at the back, so this could be his chance to prove to Arthur he can fill that gap if needed.
