Leeds Rhinos star Alex Mellor on administrations, liquidation and Covid-19

As people in the sport get to grips with just what coronavirus means, the former Huddersfield Giants second-row is able to call on the experiences of previous difficult times.

For instance, he endured plenty of uncertainty during his time at Bradford Bulls.

“I had two administrations and a liquidation there,” recalled Mellor, with rugby league currently on lockdown to April 3 at the earliest.

“Bradford Bulls was a really tough time, especially the last one.

“This now is similar in that you're in the dark and no one is really telling you anything.

“The difference is, at Bradford, there were a few lies told and a lot of things covered up.

“In this instance, no one actually knows what is happening.

“There’s not the financial stress on the player as such but with the club there is quite a lot.

“I’ve had quite a few stressful times in my career so far and Bradford was the worst as we went into liquidation (in 2017) and we all lost our jobs.”

As the pandemic takes its grip, everyone hopes that will not be the case in rugby league.

Rhinos’ scheduled game in Perpignan last Saturday was the first fixture to the postponed due to the virus before the sport as a whole closed down 48 hours later.

Yet Leeds had already seen their game at Mellor’s former club Huddersfield Giants called off last month due to Storm Ciara.

Mellor said: “It’s strange, really strange; I’ve had two games cancelled this season and I don’t think I’ve ever had one cancelled before in my entire career.

“It’s a weird one to prepare for as you don’t know what you’re doing day to day (with coronavirus).

“Safety is the main thing and you have to agree with whatever they go with.

“The frustrating thing is you don’t know how long it’s for.

“You just go back to training pre-season style or having time off. But no one knows.

“For now, we’ve got two weeks off fully from training and have been told to stay away from public places. We’re due back in on the 30th of March.

“It’s not self-isolating as such but being careful.

“I’m just playing unlimited golf. Hopefully my handicap will come down!”

Mellor came through the academy at Bradford and made his debut in 2013 when they were still in Super League.

He played more than 50 games for the club, sticking with them when they were relegated, but joined Huddersfield at the start of 2017 following that liquidation.

Mellor honed his game further with Giants, scoring 19 tries in 79 matches at John Smith’s Stadium before joining Leeds on a three-year deal over the winter.

He has made an impressive start to life at Rhinos, playing in all five games so far with their only loss on the opening night against Hull FC.

“I’m loving it here,” admitted Mellor.

“We didn’t get off to a good start with that game against Hull but the way we’ve responded has been great and we’ve shown we’re here to challenge. “We’re quietly confident and it’s a great club to be at.”