Defeated Ash Handley says it was “miraculous” he even played in the Betfred Super League Grand Final - and Leeds will be back better in 2023. The prolific winger was left helpless to prevent Rhinos losing 24-12 against champions St Helens in Saturday’s title decider.
But it was impressive he was even on the Old Trafford turf after missing their two play-offs games with a troublesome foot injury. Handley, 26, conceded: “It was tough to get back. I couldn’t really walk last week so it settled down quite well .
“At the beginning of the week we did some running sessions to see how it’d go. I put it in uncomfortable positions to see how I coped with it. And back-to-back running sessions is what I needed to do to see how I pulled up and how I came back in training. Miraculously it felt fine. It’s a bit sore now. But as the week went on, I felt I’d be alright.”
