Leeds Rhinos' Richie Myler says Jack Walker will "bounce back" from Cup disappointment

It was in 2010 that Myler, then a prodigiously talented young Warrington Wolves scrum-half, was surprisingly left out of the side that ultimately defeated Leeds at Wembley.

Much of the debate building up to this Saturday’s showpiece event, when Rhinos take on Salford Red Devils, surrounded another selection poser: who would play full-back for the West Yorkshire club?

Myler, 30, has converted wonderfully well to fill that position for most of this campaign as Walker, the exciting England Knights star who was nominated as Super League’s Young Player of the Season in each of the last two campaigns, recovered from a broken foot.

Walker, of course, did return to action recently and proved his fitness with a two-try display against Hull FC, backed up by another solid performance versus Warrington on Tuesday night.

However, Myler essentially revealed today that - barring any late alterations - the gifted 21-year-old has missed the cut for Richard Agar’s matchday line-up.

Having already confirmed in the press conference that he had got the nod at full-back, he was asked if he had been needed to offer any consolation to his colleague.

“Jack has a very old head on young shoulders,” said Myler, whose own form recently saw him sign a new two-year deal.

“He’s been around us for a few years now, is an unbelievable talent and an unbelievable player.

“He’s had a big injury for eight months and I won’t be one to preach to him or give advice.

“In the nicest possible way, I’m probably the last person he wants to speak to at the moment in the height of this.

“(But) he’s very much a ‘team first’ player as well and I’m sure he has a very, very long future here at Leeds and in the game.

“I’ll be an ear to listen if he does want to vent some things but I’m sure he might not want to at the moment in the close aftermath of it.

“It’s unfortunate he’s had an injury and he misses out but he’ll bounce back.”

Myler detailed how he dealt with the blow himself ahead of the 2010 Cup final, experienced team-mate Vinnie Anderson offering him words of encouragement.

“There were a couple of guys this morning who didn’t get the greatest news,” he said, with Agar having the luxury of a fully-fit squad ahead of the decider.

“It’s awful. It feels like the end of the world for them when you’re in the moment.

“It happened to me three days before the final in 2010, which is never good.

“You can look at it one or two ways once the dust settles.

“You see that you learn from it and why it happens. Often there’s a bigger picture in it.

“And some of those boys are not far off. It’s a learning curve, if not a nice one. Nobody wants it but rugby league is a rollercoaster.

“I don’t think you ever have medium days; you have extreme highs and sadly some very deep lows.

“But those boys will bounce back. They are very, very talented and us as a team we have been squad orientated all year around even since pre-season camp.”

Myler did get his Wembley chance in 2012. Lining up at scrum-half alongside Lee Briers as Warrington once more defeated Leeds.

It was a third successive year the Rhinos had lost with current director of rugby Kevin Sinfield and assistant coach Jamie Jones-Buchanan both in the side that day.

Myler maintains that has not been mentioned this week - “it’s dead and buried as I’ve got a Rhinos shirt on now!” - and Leeds did, of course, eventually end their own long quest for success two years later against Castleford Tigers.

But Myler explained: “For me, the 2012 final was special because of 2010. “I’d just come into a Warrington side that was full of stars.

“They’d won it the year before (2009) and it was almost like the team was always going to win anyway.

“I was up for a bench spot in 2010 so to be dropped for that and feeling like the end of the world to then go on and do it in ‘12 it was actually more special as I felt like I’d earned it.

“And that’s probably a bit of where I am now at the minute; it’s been eight years since my last one so it’s a road that’s taken a while to get back on and I’m chomping at the bit to do it.”

It was only two years ago that Myler was Wayne Bennett’s England scrum-half against the Kiwis so he conceded he would never have guessed he would be returning to Wembley as a No1.

“2020’s throwing all sorts of shapes up isn’t it!” joked the former Catalans Dragons star, who played for Salford as a teenager before moving to Warrington.

“It’s a different year all right. But it’s very similar to how I’ve played half-back most of my career anyway.

“And I think it helps having Luke (Gale) and Rob (Lui) in those vital positions; their control and leadership kind of lets me do me in a certain way.

“I’m enjoying it. I’m happy to be contributing to the team and the main goal is getting the win.”

Meanwhile, Salford received good news yesterday when captain Lee Mossop and loose forward Mark Flanagan - who they revealed as their players who received inconclusive Covid-19 test results earlier this week - have since retested negative and are available to line-up at Wembley.