Leeds Rhinos prop breaks try drought as Kallum Watkins’ impact hailed

After two years without crossing the whitewash, Mikolaj Oledzki finally managed to score a try for Leeds Rhinos in Friday night’s 48-30 victory over Leigh Leopards. 

The prop forward was in support of Jake Connor, who collected Brodie Croft’s towering bomb with ease before offloading to the Polish-born enforcer to score next to the posts. 

As expected, when not scoring for that long, he could not hide the emotion from his face as he celebrated with all of his teammates. 

Oledzki’s last try came in defeat at Magic Weekend in 2023. The 26-year-old spoke after the game and explained his thought process ahead of the four-pointer: 

He said: “It’s been a long time, and it’s got to the point where the boys have started getting into me about it, so I said to Jake [Connor] I’m just going to keep following these kicks. I couldn’t run and get a try, so I followed the kicks instead, and I owe him one for that. “

Leeds Rhinos edge Leigh as prop pays credit

Despite the Rhinos scoring eight tries, Oledzki expressed his respect for Leigh, who provided a tough battle, especially through the middle. 

“They were third in the table for a reason” he said. “They’re a really good side, especially offensively. They throw the ball around. Sometimes it feels like they’re playing touch footy because they throw it about that much. They’ve got a good forward pack, a strong pack. It was quite physical in the middle.” 

He continued: “I felt like we could have been a bit better defensively. With the ball, we never stopped moving, and we executed when we had to and made the most of the chances we got. In the end, it’s the two points that count. 

The Rhinos responded well from their poor showing at St Helens last week, and Oledzki was proud of the reaction, stating: “It was the way that we lost the game last week that was more disappointing than the loss itself. It was important that we got back on the horse and put a good performance in.” 

Leeds made a mid-season signing when Kallum Watkins was brought back to the club in April. In that time, he has become one of their standout players. Oledzki heaped all the praise on the former England international. 

He said: “It’s like he’s never left. He’s a great guy off the field. He’s a great bloke to be around, I love spending my time with him and on the field he’s a proper competitor and a true professional.

“To see him play his best footy is great to see for us, for the fans, and for everyone at the club. For him to be back at the Rhinos it’s great to see and hopefully we have him for a long time here.”