Leeds Rhinos have lost star signing Lachie Miller ahead of the game against Hull KR due to illness at the ground ahead of their meeting in Super League Round Two.
Young Alfie Edgell will start at fullback as consequence with Corey Johnson coming into the 18 man squad with the young hooker now 18th man after Edgell was promoted to the 17.
Speaking on Sky Sports before the game, Rohan Smith provided an update on the exciting fullback.
He said: “He’s progressively gotten worse since we got on the bus. He was just getting ready to warm up and we decided that he wasn’t well enough.”
Asked about who will replace Miller, Smith confirmed it would be young Alfie Edgell. He said:
“It’ll be Alfie Edgell who will play. He’s a great young kid. He’s leaf, board and bread. He’s a fan of the club from day one. He’s a tough, hard player. He’s got a decent amount of speed. He knows how to play and we’ve been grooming him for these moments for a year and a half now. So it’s a great opportunity, tough day for it against a great team in a tough environment, but he’s a tough kid.”
Leeds Rhinos boss looks ahead to Hull KR clash
Leeds Rhinos Head coach Rohan Smith during the Bradford Bulls v Leeds Rhinos pre season friendly match at Odsal Stadium, Bradford, England on the 28 January 2024.
Smith was also asked to give a word on Hull KR star Mikey Lewis and said: “Mikey’s a great player, he played for England at the end of the year and he’s sort of taken that form into the early part of the season. He’s a great player and it’ll be a team activity to try and slow him down.”
He also gave a word on his captain Cameron Smith who was newly appointed as such ahead of the new season. Asked why he made him captain, Smith said of his namesake:
“Cam, firstly he thrived through adversity last year, he’s one that not only took his game forward but he helped others along the way, so that’s a great attribute of a leader. We feel it’s important that we have a Leeds born and bred system player that’s the leader of our group and moving forward we want to build that core of locally grown players.
“Cam also has a great ability to connect to people to get an early indication of what type of personality they are and that allows him to bring out the best in them. He facilitates other people’s leadership really well for a man that’s only 25 himself, he’s beyond his years.”
