Some tough decisions are in store for Leeds Rhinos coach Brad Arthur ahead of his side’s next game, in two weeks’ time.
Rhinos will go into Super League’s Challenge Cup semi-final break in buoyant mood following a 17-4 win against St Helens at Magic Weekend in Newcastle.
They were without veteran winger Ryan Hall as well as pivots Brodie Croft and Cameron Smith and all three are expected to be in contention for the home game against Hull FC on Friday, May 16.
With Hall carrying an ankle injury, Alfie Edgell came in on the right wing for his first start of the campaign and Arthur felt the academy product did a “very good job”.
On the other flank, Riley Lumb grabbed his eighth try in 12 games since taking over from star signing Maika Sivo, who tore anterior cruciate ligaments in pre-season and won’t play a competitive game this year.
Leeds Rhinos young guns step up
Speaking on his two young wingers, Arthur said:“We are lucky – we got the injury to Maika and at the time Alfie wasn’t available and Riley was.
“Riley stepped up and earned his role and has made it hard for Alfie to get into the team. Alfie got his chance through an injury to Hally and did a great job.
“Teams that are at the top for most of the season are the ones who can have young guys step up and do their job.
“We are having blokes coming into the team and filling the spot and doing a really good job. They are playing their role and we’ll probably get three or four players back for the next game, which puts pressure on.”
Edgell was involved in a key moment when he took a knee to the head in an incident which resulted in Saints’ Lewis Murphy spending 10 minutes in the sin-bin.
The Leeds man had to undergo a head injury assessment and Arthur said: “He’s all right, he managed to come back out on the field.
“He is a tough kid – I was worried for him straight away because he had a broken jaw in pre-season and straight away I thought of that.
“This was his first opportunity into the team and he finished the season really well for us last year. I am just glad he was able to get through to the end of the game injury-free and his head is in a good space.”
The Rhinos get the win and head back home from the Magic Weekend with the two points
FULL TIME
Saints 4 – 17 Rhinos
🤝 In partnership #Anchor #ButtertheFoodButtertheMood pic.twitter.com/DJkFal2cib— Leeds Rhinos (@leedsrhinos) May 3, 2025
