Leeds coach Richard Agar on his half-back selection for round one

Leeds coach Richard Agar is keeping his half-back options under wraps ahead of their round clash with Wakefield on Saturday.

Rhinos captain Luke Gale is nearing a full recovery from a torn pectoral muscle sustained on the opening day of pre-season and is expected to line up alongside Kyle Eastmond, who has been endeavouring to get up to speed following his return to league after almost a decade in union.

Speaking at a joint preview press conference, Agar said he would include 19-year-old utility back Jack Broadbent in his 21-man squad but refused to show his full hand.

He said: “I don’t normally do this but I’m not going to reveal too much about our team this week. We’ve still got a couple of sessions to get through yet.

“Obviously our half-backs have come in late so it was always going to be a race against time for round one.

“It’s been a very short period for both of them to be ready for a game.

“Luke’s pretty fit anyway and, being an upper-body injury, he was going to shave off a bit of the 12 weeks expected (lay-off). We need that ticking off from the surgeon today to make sure there are no last-minute worries.

“Kyle is close. He has had six to seven months out of sport and, playing six, it’s a game where you have heavy involvement in the game.

“We need to ensure that Kyle from an engine perspective is fully assimilated with the way we want to play.”

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