Harry Newman's return from injury took another step forward after completing a full half during Leeds Rhinos' clash with Castleford Tigers. The centre, who made a try-scoring return against Wakefield last week, played the first half before being replaced as the club continue to work him back to full fitness.
Newman was replaced by Luis Roberts half-time, with the youngster named on the bench to replace Newman at the break. The change was pre-planned, with the Rhinos only ever intending to play Newman for the 40 minutes, regardless of the scoreline.
Newman had revealed to Leeds Live last week that he wouldn't be playing 80 minutes against Castleford. "We had a plan all along," Newman said. "I’ve been out for a while and we planned to play 25-30 minutes. Next week will probably be a bit longer and the week after a bit longer than that."
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He left the changing rooms at half-time wearing his full tracksuit, confirming his evening was over. But it's another step in the right direction for Newman, whose early career has been littered with cruel injury setbacks.
While the Rhinos were only 8-6 up at the interval, Rhinos legend Danny McGuire praised Rohan Smith's approach to managing Newman.
"I think it's a really smart move," McGuire said on Sky Sports. "He's a prize asset, one of the best players and up-and-coming stars in the competition. I think the return to play protocol they're carrying out is really smart on Leeds' front."
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