Leeds Rhinos have named a changed 21-man squad for Friday's trip to Wigan Warriors, with kick-off set for 8pm and Jack Bird ruled out after minor knee surgery. Bird will miss the next two games, while Harry Newman, Tom Nicholson-Watton and Riley Lumb have all come back into contention.
Newman replaces Bird after playing the last three games on loan at Hull FC. Nicholson-Watton returns after a week on loan at Castleford Tigers and comes in for Ethan O'Neill, who has joined Hull FC on loan. Lumb is back after time at Hunslet and takes the place of Harley Thomas.
Brad Arthur's squad also includes Lachie Miller, Maika Sivo, Ash Handley, Ryan Hall, Brodie Croft, Jake Connor, Mikolaj Oledzki, Jarrod O'Connor, Tom Holroyd, Kallum Watkins, James McDonnell, Keenan Palasia, Chris Hankinson, Cooper Jenkins, Cameron Smith, Presley Cassell, Danny Levi and Fergie McCormack. Ben Littlewood is unavailable after suffering a hand injury at York Knights and is expected to be sidelined for six to eight weeks.
Connor is set to make his 250th Super League appearance in the match, which gives Leeds another milestone to carry into one of the toughest fixtures on their schedule. Tickets and travel for the game are available online through Leeds Rhinos.
The squad changes show how quickly Leeds' options are being shaped by short-term loans and injuries, with Arthur forced to balance immediate availability against longer absences. Against Wigan, the Rhinos will need the new-look group to settle fast.
