Injury-hit Ward ready to answer England's Four Nations call

HE has only played four games during the previous 12 months and remains untried at international level but Leeds Rhinos' Stevie Ward last night said he is ready to represent England in the Four Nations.
By The Newsroom
Published 6th Oct 2016, 06:00 BST
Updated 25th Oct 2016, 18:04 BST
Stevie Ward.Stevie Ward.
Stevie Ward.

The highly-rated second-row, 22, is one of 10 players in Wayne Bennett’s train-on squad ahead of this month’s tournament.

Ward, however, only made his comeback from a problematic knee reconstruction last month leaving many believing he will be unlikely to make the final 24-man squad named on Monday.

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The alternative argument, though, is the young Yorkshireman is certainly energised for a potential international debut having missed so much action since busting his knee the night Leeds won the League Leaders’ Shield at Huddersfield last September.

“There’s nothing better than proving people wrong,” admitted Ward, who returned successfully for all of Leeds’s final four Qualifiers games.

“I feel like I was getting back to near my best in the last match for Leeds against Leigh.

“I’m fresh, ready to crack on and put some performances in.

“Whether that’s with England or not who knows but I’ve never been afraid to play against the Aussies and that won’t change just because I’ve only had four games this year.

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“I ripped straight in versus Melbourne with Leeds in the World Club Challenge when I was 19.

“It doesn’t bother me in the slightest. Obviously, I’m just training at the minute – we started Monday and it’s been great –and it might be just with a view to going on further down the line.

“There’ll be no dramas if so. But if I get the call Sunday I’m in, I’m 100 per cent ready to take that chance.”

With players from NRL clubs and Super League’s top-four sides yet to be included, competition is undoubtedly stiff.

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Canberra Raiders’ Elliott Whitehead is viewed as a certainty with Wigan’s John Bateman also likely to get the nod. There’s also Ward’s club colleague Brett Ferres – one of six Leeds players in the train-on squad with Ryan Hall, Tom Briscoe, Kallum Watkins and Zak Hardaker the others – plus Wigan Warriors’ Liam Farrell vying for spots.

The others currently in training are Luke Gale (Castleford), Jermaine McGillvary, Leroy Cudjoe (both Huddersfield) and Kevin Brown (Widnes).

Related topics:LeedsLeeds RhinosEnglandHuddersfieldLeigh