Not for the first time this season, Rohan Smith has some selection headaches ahead of him. Leeds Rhinos are 80 minutes away from Old Trafford and their first Grand Final appearance in five years. In their way are Wigan Warriors.
There are some difficult decisions Smith needs to make. The Rhinos have lost Morgan Gannon to a concussion and Mikolaj Oledzki is also a major doubt following a shoulder injury picked up in the victory over Catalans Dragons. There's no getting away from Oledzki's importance to the Leeds pack, if he's fit to play, there's little doubting he will.
But AC joint injuries, historically, don't heal in a week. We don't quite know the severity of the injury but it's unlikely that it will have healed come Friday. Since Smith's arrival he has always stressed the importance of long-term thinking and has not risked players on a number of occasions, instead preferring to err on the side of caution.
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Given that, it seems that the likelihood of Oledzki featuring is unlikely, no matter how important or how big this game is. It's a major blow and one Leeds will struggle to handle. The question then is what that does for the pack. With no returnees in the backs you'd suspect they will be unchanged in that department, but changes will be required in the middle, especially with Gannon also unavailable. Bodene Thompson is almost certain to be one of the players who come in after he recovered from his rib injury. The other isn't quite as obvious.
One option would be to go with another forward, but perhaps the more likely solution is a recall for Brad Dwyer. The hooker was a notable absentee last week, with Jarrod O'Connor instead selected to play at nine. Smith said that decision was made due to Catalans' superior size, making it unviable to run with three smaller bodies. But Wigan aren't quite as physically dominant as the Dragons. If all three play, O'Connor is likely to be utilised as a forward, allowing for Leeming and Dwyer to rotate. It would be a bold call to move O'Connor given his performance last week but his utility value makes him the sensible choice if all three are to feature. It also allows the Rhinos to bring back Dwyer's running threat.
Zane Tetevano appears the likely candidate to start in place of Oledzki if the England prop misses out and, given that provides size at the start of the game, James Donaldson would offer a nice blend at the start of the game and allow for Thompson to provide experience off the bench when Walters is also required to come on.
Predicted Leeds Rhinos team : Richie Myler, Tom Briscoe, Zak Hardaker, Liam Sutcliffe, Liam Tindall, Blake Austin, Aidan Sezer, Zane Tetevano, Kruise Leeming, Matt Prior, James Bentley, James Donaldson, Cameron Smith. Subs: Brad Dwyer, Bodene Thompson, Jarrod O'Connor, Sam Walters.
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