'I've called him my favourite player': Find out who in Kruise Leeming's exclusive column
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They have given so much to the club and been a big part of what we are. We know it’s professional sport, it’s a cutthroat industry and some people move on and others come in.
That’s just how it is, but we will be sad to see them go. I think they’ve all brought and still bring things to the team and we will miss them.
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Hide AdLeeds is a club that always keeps tabs on people who’ve worn the shirt and I am sure they will do with this group and everyone at the club and on the terraces will wish them all the best.
Tom Briscoe has been one of the best wingers in the competition ever since his Hull days. He flourished at Leeds, scored five tries in a Challenge Cup final and is a player who will be on every other team’s tip sheet to stop. If you stop Tom Briscoe, you go a long way to stopping Leeds Rhinos. That’s how pivotal he has been.
Liam Sutcliffe is our longest-serving player and one I have always admired. I’ve told him that and we have a bit of a joke about it, I have sometimes called him my favourite player.
He is so skilful and versatile, he is a natural in whatever position and plays and he is tough as well.
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Hide AdDog - as everyone calls Brad Dwyer - is someone I have got close to during my time here. You never know how it’s going to go with players who play the same position as you or if you are going to get on, but at my previous club, Huddersfield, I got on really well with Adam O’Brien and it has been the same with Dog.
We have been on a journey together and he has been absolutely brilliant. He has kept me fighting for a position, even now. He wants to do well, I want to do well and he has been fantastic for me.
Everyone has seen what he can do for the team. As soon as he comes off the bench he adds something to the side, he is capable of scoring tries out of nothing and working with him has brought my game on loads.
I shared the experience of winning a Challenge Cup with all three of them and that’s something nobody can ever take away.
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Hide AdBodene Thompson has been really good for us as well over the past couple of years and I think Muizz Mustapha has a big future in the game. I wish them all the best for the future, but hopefully there’s a few more games to go before their time at Rhinos comes to an end.
Saturday’s game is massive. Whoever wins will be in the top-six and I think we are going into it in good shape, despite losing at Catalans on Monday.
We withstood a lot of pressure and came out in the second half and held our own.
The stats our coach Rohan Smith gave us at half-time showed they had something like 48 plays in a row on our line.
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Hide AdWe could have crumbled, but we didn’t and that was pleasing. Then for us to go out in the second half and get to a point where we were thinking ‘we might do something here’ shows we are changing as a team.
Even though we lost, people can still take positives from it and that means people are feeling upbeat for Saturday.
It is a knockout game, the play-offs have come a week early and historically, this club has been good under pressure.
Hopefully we can show that again, in front of a packed house. We will need as many fans as possible to get to this game and get behind us. It’s fortunate we are at home for such an important fixture and we have to make that count.
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Hide AdWe’ve been playing big games, play-off type rugby for a while, but we don’t like to talk about form too much because every game is different. We are going to have to turn up and play really well to beat Cas and that’s the bottom line.
That said, I think we can be really proud of the six-game winning run. We know we aren’t the finished article and there’s a lot to improve on, but there’s also so much to take confidence from. We know what we are doing does work.