Leeds Rhinos head coach Rohan Smith admits he is not yet close to finalising his team for the season-opener against Warrington Wolves but has confirmed Richie Myler will play full-back. Leeds will head to the Halliwell Jones Stadium without centres Nene Macdonald (quad) and Harry Newman (hamstring), full-back Luke Hooley (ankle), prop Mikolaj Oledzki (shoulder surgery) and second-rower James Bentley (knee).
Yet head coach Smith said he will have “22 or 23” first-team players to pick from in the eagerly-awaited clash with Daryl Powell’s Wolves. He will spend the next 10 days assessing his options before naming the 17 men to take on the Wire next Thursday.
Asked how many decisions he still had to make, Smith said: “A lot. We've got, I think, 22 or 23 players that will be ready and available, Super League ready players fit, ready and practiced. We've a lot of versatility in our squad so it's a case of settling on what's the right balance for round one.”
Read more: Nene Macdonald's Leeds Rhinos injury condition confirmed with round one closing in
One position is a certainty with Myler set to feature against his former club as Leeds’ last line of defence. “Richie will be playing fullback in round one,” confirmed Smith.
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