Leeds Rhinos will look for a second consecutive Super League victory on Friday night when they host local rivals Wakefield Trinity. Mark Applegarth's side are without a win in the league in 2023, with the Rhinos themselves looking for a first success at Headingley this season.
Smith met with the media on Wednesday to discuss a number of injury issues, as well as the threat posed by this Friday's opponents. Here is everything Smith said on the key issues.
On Harry Newman
Newman was named in the 21-man squad earlier on Wednesday - and Smith confirmed the centre is going to feature on Friday. He also revealed how he is confident Newman is fully-fit and over the hamstring issues which have plagued his off-season.
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"Harry will feature on Friday," Smith said. "Harry is very excited, that's for sure. Everyone knows what Harry can do, the boys love playing with him and this week they've cracked on with things and Harry will just be another one in the 17 really.
"It's not about Harry, but it is good to have him back. He's pretty much bang on. As I've said a few times previously, it's a little tricky given the injury he's had isn't a common one and the timeframe can fluctuate a bit, but he's bang on. He's ready to go and he's done a good amount of work."
James Bentley's fitness
Newman is not the only key returnee this week. Forward James Bentley is clear to return from a knee injury, having been named in the 21 last week but ultimately failing to feature against St Helens.
"James will play, which is good news," Smith said. "He epitomises that competitive spirit we're about, he's done some good work in the last few weeks in getting his rehab done and he's in a good place. We're looking forward to him chasing his place in the starting line-up."
On Morgan Gannon
Gannon remains unavailable after a head knock, with the forward again left out of Smith's 21-man squad this week. He revealed that Gannon's age, coupled with his previous concussion problems, means Leeds are taking extra care with his return.
"We feel it's very important with young players that they do suitable amounts of training and make some interventions to improve strength and technique, rather than simply doing the concussion protocol and ticking the boxes," Smith revealed.
"Morgan has been to see a specialist and had an MRI, and we're just getting all of the information together so we can make the best course of action. But he hasn't had any symptoms, he's been training and we're just going to take a bit longer than a regular one because he's a young player and he's had a bump in the past."
On Wakefield's threat
"We got an early glimpse of them on Boxing Day and I thought they were well organised as a team," he said of Friday's opponents. "They were very connected with their defence and were hard to break down. They had a rough day against Wigan, and Jai Field, Bevan French and co were sharp that day. But in the other two games against Huddersfield and Catalans they've been hard to break down defensively."
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