The future of Leeds Rhinos hooker Corey Johnson is up in the air after his move to Bradford Bulls.
The Bulls brought in Johnson who is in the last year of his contract at Headingley.
Speaking to the press, Leeds boss Rohan Smith has explained why Johnson has headed to Odsal:
“Well, we’ve got Ackers and O’Connor that are in front of Corey at the point in time as a hooker. I see Corey’s ability to play in the halves there as well, but he’s going to be in a back-up role there as well.
“Corey’s in the last year of his contract and he needs to be playing regularly at the highest standard he can. At this point in time, that’s a championship so we’ll monitor how he’s playing there. It’s up to him to force his way back into our group.”
This came as Smith seemed to admit that Johnson could leave the club permanently:
“Yeah, I’ve got a high opinion of Corey. Jarrod and Ackers are both contracted here beyond this season as well so Corey would have to be a versatile player to add value to our group moving forward.
“That’s a decision for us and for Corey in time but the main thing for Corey at this point is to establish himself at Bradford and play some good hard rugby and things will open up for him wherever that is.”
Leeds Rhinos players headed for Championship
This came as Smith also confirmed that some of the Leeds Rhinos squad could head to Halifax Panthers on dual registration.
He said: “Possibly yeah, we’ve been hampered particularly in our forward pack by increased suspension early in the season so we haven’t really considered that at this point but there will be players going to get some game time at Halifax for sure.
“It’s important that the timing is right for the player and also for Halifax because they’ve got their own goals and ambitions and stuff as well so it’s up to us to complement that. All those young kids play reserves on the weekend so they’ll be able to dust the cobwebs off and get some game time under their belt.”
