Richard Agar spoke with the press on Wednesday morning ahead of Leeds Rhinos' trip across West Yorkshire to face Wakefield Trinity on Thursday night. Here is everything Agar said ahead of the derby against Willie Poching's side.
The return of Harry Newman, David Fusitu'a and Rhyse Martin
All three players have been named in Agar's 21-man squad for Thursday night, and the Rhinos coach hinted the trio will almost certainly feature at Wakefield.
"They've been back in; it was a week too soon for Harry last week," Agar said of Newman. "We needed to get a little bit more high-speed running through him and to throw him back without the proper training was a risk. David wasn't quite right last week but they've brought a great energy to training and some real quality.
"We've had a tough run of results and we've had some bumpy games with a fair chunk of players out, but gradually we're getting back there. Rhyse is back from his trip Down Under to take care of his family issues so we've got some welcome returnees into our side this week."
On Alex Mellor
The forward was stretchered off in the early stages of last week's defeat to Catalans, and was immediately taken to hospital. However, he was cleared of any serious damage and is now recovering. "He's okay, but he's on concussion protocols at the moment," Agar said.
"The immediate worry was around his neck but subsequently that got cleared pretty quickly. He's on the concussion protocol, it's the second time he's been knocked out in his career so he's familiar with it. He's back to himself this week and he's good. He's making a good recovery, thankfully."
On Sam Walters, Tom Holroyd and James Donaldson's injuries
The forward trio are currently sidelined, but all three are making encouraging progress with their own individual recoveries.
"We've got a number of forwards out," Agar said. "Sam and Tom are making good progress and starting to increase towards running speed and getting to match fitness. We're counting the clock down for Tom. James Donaldson has got a bit of a neck issue that hasn't freed up to get him back in the side this week. It's very much week by week with James at the moment."
The challenge of Wakefield Trinity
Both sides remain without a win after the opening three weeks of the season, but Agar insists that the Rhinos will face a difficult challenge against his former club.
"We're coming into a game where neither club has got a win and both will be desperate to get off the mark," Agar said. "I've seen a team that has some good signs in them.
"They'll get off their line and whack you, and I've seen some smart things in how they move the ball. They showed a bit of the Hull KR in them that they're prepared to chance their arm and kick early. Tom Johnstone is in terrific form and a great target for their kicking. He's started the season in really good form."
