Leeds Rhinos are hopeful Kruise Leeming will not face an extended lay-off in the aftermath of the foot injury he sustained in the victory over St Helens. The hooker was helped from the field last Friday and has not been named in Leeds' 21-man squad to face Wakefield Trinity this Friday.
After the game, coach Rohan Smith raised concerns when stating that Leeming had suffered an injury in a similar area to the one last year which had kept him from the field for around two months. That spell off the field was costly for Leeming, who ultimately missed out on an England World Cup spot.
His absence from the 21-man squad had raised further concerns about his status. However, the injury is not as bad as first feared. Leeming has taken part in some training this week and has even done some running, suggesting the injury isn't a major one. He has been left out of the 21-man squad as a precautionary measure.
Read more: Harry Newman boost for Leeds Rhinos as centre named in squad for Wakefield clash
"Not as bad as first though," was Rohan Smith's assessment. "He's done some training but we just felt it was best to get some graduated return back to full training and not take any risks with it on a short-ish turnaround from that injury. It's in a similar neck of the woods to the previous injury but it's not the same thing and it's nowhere near as severe, and it'll settle. It shouldn't be too long."
It's good news for the Rhinos, especially given Leeds' third-choice hooker, Corey Johnson, is still nicely working his way back to form after back surgery last year. He made his return to the field over the weekend, playing for the reserves in their victory over Bradford Bulls, and has been named in the squad for Friday.
Jarrod O'Connor, who started against St Helens, is likely to continue in that role having impressed in the victory over the World Club champions. Leeming had only been on a matter of minutes before sustaining the victory.
House of League is the newest rugby league podcast which will feature some of the biggest names and tackle some of the biggest topics. You can listen to the full show below or alternatively subscribe on Spotify, Amazon Music or Apple Music.
Read next
Sonny Bill Williams' sister to join women's rugby league revolution in NRLW
Former England star Gareth Hock to appear in court over multiple offences
Inside Lee Radford's Castleford Tigers departure and how long-term planning prompted premature exit
Sam Tomkins misses out on Wigan return as Catalans fullback remains sidelined
Dave Woods becomes first man to publicly declare interest in Castleford Tigers job
