Leeds Rhinos selection dilemma tests Richard Agar but Challenge Cup triumph vindicates his calls

With an almost fully-fit squad to choose from, Agar had faced the onerous task of telling several players they had missed the Cup final cut.

Teenage prop Tom Holroyd and 21-year-old back-rower Cameron Smith were both left out of the Wembley side, despite having featured in Leeds’ classy semi-final win over Wigan Warriors two weeks earlier.

Instead, veteran front-rower Adam Cuthbertson and another 21-year-old, Alex Sutcliffe, each took a place on the bench and while his selection paid off, Agar admitted breaking the news to Holroyd and Smith was among the hardest tasks he has ever faced as a coach.

“We think a lot about our players and it actually took a bit of shine off the week for me,” admitted Agar.

“Both kids were naturally and quite rightly gutted and heartbroken by it.

“That’s my job, I have got to make tough decisions sometimes and it was a tough one; it was tough on a personal level because I think so much about the kids and I knew how much it would hurt them.

“On a personal note it was very difficult for the guys who were left out and it had a real impact on me because I know we would have got the job done with either player [Smith or Holroyd] in the team.”

Sutcliffe played on dual-registration in Featherstone Rovers’ Championship Grand Final loss to Toronto Wolfpack last year, but the Wembley selection was only his eighth first team game for Leeds.

“One of the reasons was we felt we needed more cover for the backs,” Agar added of Sutcliffe’s inclusion.

“When Alex has played he has never let us down and one thing he can do, as we saw on Saturday, is tackle.

“He is fearless, he carries the ball hard, but his front-on defence is among the best in the club.”

Cuthbertson, 35, was a member of Leeds’ treble-winning team five years ago and also played in their 2017 Grand Final victory.

Agar insisted: “There wasn’t a struck match between Tommy, Cam and Cuthbo, other than Cuthbo had a little bit more experience and we did feel it was a game for an extra front-rower, given we’d already got James Donaldson locked in on the bench, rather than another back-rower.”

Sutcliffe had missed three successive games in the lead up to Wembley and even he was surprised by his call-up.

“He [Agar] told me the day after we played the Hull game and I didn’t expect it at all,” admitted the Wakefield-born centre/back-rower who had played only twice for Leeds before this season.

“We were playing Warrington on the Tuesday and I thought he had got his dates mixed up when he said ‘you’re going to play on Saturday’. I said, ‘don’t you mean Tuesday’? and he said ‘no, you’re playing on Saturday’.

“I didn’t stop smiling all week. It was a dream come true.”

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Thank you, James Mitchinson. Editor.