St Helens v Leeds Rhinos - Richard Agar forced to juggle squad in hunt for play-offs

They begin a run of six games in 17 days when they take on St Helens tonight – just six days after their Challenge Cup final success over Salford Red Devils.

Competing in both competitions is always hard but that is all the more so in Covid times with Leeds – who sit fifth just outside the top-four ahead of this round – facing such congestion and knowing the semi-final berths will be decided by win percentage.

Squad rotation will be key and only seven of their Wembley players feature tonight.

“We desperately want to make the top-four, but I think things have fallen in a very difficult way for us,” said Agar.

“Before our Challenge Cup games we decided to field less experienced teams against a couple of top-four sides, we are coming off the back of a very tiring, emotional weekend and now we have got six games in 17 days – and three games in six days after [tonight].

“For us it is about getting a balance.

“We are going to get a team out there [at St Helens] as strong as we possibly can, but I am keen not to play anyone who is not 100 per cent fit.

“We have got players who I know if I play them in this game they probably won’t play in the next two or three.

“I know if we let them get closer to 100 per cent, then they have a chance of playing in the Castleford and Wakefield games at least – but after that it is going to be an absolute rotation of the squad.

“No one else is playing that amount of games in that number of days so I do feel the Challenge Cup has given us significantly more challenges than the other teams chasing a spot.

“If we can pull it off it will be an enormous achievement for us and we will give it a really good go.”

Meanwhile, Rhinos prop Adam Cuthbertson, 35, may have played his last game for the club.

Agar revealed the Australian – who joins York City Knights in 2021 – fractured his shoulder in the Cup final win over Salford Red Devils.

He said: “It’s probably going to be an uphill struggle to get back in time. He’s not given up the ghost and he wants to try and make it and get back on the field but we do think it will be an uphill struggle.

“If we get into the play-offs then it would give us an outside chance.”

Agar also revealed the bizarre way in which Leeds celebrated that behind-closed-doors Wembley win.

“We stayed in the changing rooms for about an hour and a half, having a drink and having pictures taken,” said Agar.

“And then the Wembley people came and said ‘you’re going to have to go.’ So three or four had showered but the rest said ‘let’s just get on the bus, in our kit’.

“So they got on the bus in their kit, boots, medals round their necks. We went to the services (at Tibshelf) and had a McDonald’s.

“So they were all walking off in their boots and their kit and they took the Cup in with them!

“It was probably a bit surreal for the people at the services.

“While it was very different, it was a brilliant three or four hours together. It was a wonderful, memorable occasion.”

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Thank you, James Mitchinson. Editor.