Hull FC keen to keep Leeds Rhinos duo on longer deals after loan stint

Hull FC have expressed an interest to Leeds Rhinos in keeping both Ethan O’Neill and Jeremiah Mata’utia beyond their initial loan deals with the club.

The overseas duo have been with Hull for several weeks, with game-time at AMT Headingley limited for the pair owing to Brad Arthur having a near full strength squad available and at his disposal.

It was announced on May 11 that O’Neill and Mata’utia would spend the next month with the Black and Whites – making this weekend’s trip to Warrington Wolves the final match on that deal. Hull’s next game is on Saturday June 13 at home to Huddersfield Giants and by then, the deals are officially concluded.

But Arthur confirmed on Wednesday that Hull have expressed their desire to keep the pair for longer if possible – but any decision will not be made until after this weekend’s fixtures.

‘Hull are happy with them’

Arthur insisted that Leeds’ priority is for O’Neill and Mata’utia to be getting regular rugby so that they can be ready if called upon by the Rhinos.

But he stressed there couldn’t be a call officially made yet until after Leeds play St Helens this weekend, with the Rhinos then having a clearer view on their own squad situation.

He said: “Hull have reached out to us and they’re happy. We want them to be a good reflection of ourselves and themselves. We’re playing Thursday and we’ll get through our game and we’ll re-assess see where we’re at; if we’re reasonably covered with healthy bodies, then we’ll look at it again.”

When asked if Hull had officially made an approach for a longer deal, Arthur said: “Yeah I think they’re pretty happy with them. They’re going through a rough trot of injuries but we’ll see how we get through the weekend before we look at it properly.”

Leeds’ big month ahead

Thursday’s game with the Saints sees two teams sitting joint top of Super League going up against one another.

And it starts a major run of games for Leeds in June which also includes Warrington Wolves and defending champions Hull KR.

Arthur is acutely aware of the importance of a pivotal few weeks, which could solidify the Rhinos’ position at the Super League summit as the season passes through the halfway mark.

He said: “Every game is crucial, isn’t it.

“But in particular, this block of four games is very important to us. We’ve done a lot of good work and we need to capitalise on the position we’ve put ourselves in. But I want to see where we’re at and how we handle it.”

Arthur confirmed he will likely deploy the same 17 that hammered Huddersfield Giants a fortnight ago on Thursday night at AMT Headingley. That means youngster Fergus McCormack will continue at fullback for the suspended Lachie Miller.

Harry Newman will also retain his spot at centre with Jack Bird deemed not yet 100 per cent ready to return following minor knee surgery several weeks ago. Tom Holroyd is also unlikely to be risked.