Leeds Rhinos success may have been mostly founded on local lads and men who came through the Leeds academy, but every now and then that core of the golden generation was complimented by the arrival of something really special from down under.
Whether it was Ali Lauitiiti, Brent Webb or Kylie Leuluai, these players from the NRL gave the Rhinos that extra bit of quality to remain ultra dominant for over a decade.
One of the men who did so was of course Adam Cuthbertson. Cuthbertson was Leeds’ only pre-season signing going into 2015 after Leeds had finished sixth and in his first season he made a record breaking number of offloads, was nominated for the Man of Steel and helped Leeds to the treble.
In 2017, he again tasted Grand Final success before in his final game for Leeds in 2020 Cuthbertson lifted a second Challenge Cup.
But due to the pandemic he was denied a chance to bid farewell to the Leeds fans before taking up opportunities at York and Featherstone.
Now set for retirement, Cuthbertson will make the last appearance of his career in the Blue and Amber against New Zealand tonight and he is excited to taste the Headingley atmosphere one more time.
Reflecting on some of his fondest memories in front of the South Stand, Cuthbertson said on BBC Radio Leeds: “I have this memory of the first time coming out to Headingley and hearing the South Stand, those sort of things because the crowds are a little bit different in Australia in terms of how vocal they are.
“I think of Rob’s game when the group got back together and we played Bradford to help raise money for Rob, that was really special that night.
“We weren’t playing for trophies or anything like that: we were playing for our teammate. That made me realise, this is like a family this, we really take care of each other.
“I’ll always have memories of those nights.”
🦏 As @cuthbertson85 prepares to represent @leedsrhinos for one last time, he shares some of his abiding Headingley memories.
🎙️ Hear more from 'Cuthbo' ahead of Saturday's New Zealand clash on @BBCWYS from 6pm.
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🌍 https://t.co/Wrf1bGwul8 pic.twitter.com/6B1alQbam3— BBC Sport West Yorkshire (@BBCWYS) October 5, 2022
For fans who want to see Cuthbertson make his farewell appearance can do so on the OurLeague app.
