Leeds Rhinos v Salford Red Devils: 'Proud dad' moment for Chev Walker as Presley Cassell makes Super League debut
Brad Arthur expects assistant coach Chev Walker to feel like a "proud dad" when Presley Cassell makes his Leeds Rhinos debut against Salford Red Devils.
The 18-year-old forward, who was coached by Walker at academy level, has been handed his first Super League opportunity after Arthur's pack options were depleted by injuries to Mikolaj Oledzki and Tom Holroyd.
Cassell has been described by Arthur as "very physical and ready", but the Rhinos boss plans to ease the teenager in.
"We've tried to keep it pretty low key," said Arthur.
"We've told him it's not likely he'll get on in the first half and to sit there and enjoy it. We'll give him some instructions after half-time on when he might take the field.
"It's really pleasing but more pleasing for the club because I haven't had a real lot to do with Pres. It's a good indication of where the club is at.
"It's more rewarding for the likes of Chev who has put a lot of time into him. He'll be like a proud dad come kick-off."
Leeds suffered a disappointing 6-0 defeat to St Helens last time out, increasing the importance of Friday's home clash with struggling Salford Red Devils.
The build-up has been dominated by talk of a potential strike at Super League's crisis club but the game goes ahead and Arthur is expecting a battle against a team buoyed by a rare win.
"It's been a disjointed year for them but they should be very proud of what they've done as a team to hang in there," he said.
"We know they're going to come with the right attitude and will try to put us off our game. We're prepared for that and have the respect for what they've done this season.
"Our response to last week is really important."