Gary Hetherington says Leeds Rhinos want to keep Zak Hardaker beyond this season – and are working on ways to fit him into their salary cap to allow them to do just that. Hardaker returned to Headingley midway through the campaign after leaving Wigan Warriors and played a significant role in helping Rohan Smith’s men to reach the Grand Final.
The short-term deal he penned in April runs until the end of November and the 30-year-old spoke in the aftermath of Saturday’s title decider at Old Trafford about his desire to stay at Leeds.
Headingley supremo Hetherington told Leeds Live: “We are keen to keep Zak, but at this moment in time we don’t have any cap space. That’s an ongoing issue where we are looking to create some space and we’re keen to keep Zak on board and Zak wants to stay with us as well.
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“Managing the salary cap is challenging and there is no magic wand. It can only be achieved by players who are on the cap and contracted for next year moving elsewhere. In some cases, that’s possible. Take the example of Liam Sutcliffe.
“Hull FC were really keen to recruit Liam and they offered him a three-year contract – a two-year extension to what he had at Leeds Rhinos. We could see the attraction in that and we didn’t stand in Liam’s way, so that may well be the case with some other players as clubs look to make changes within their own squads.”
Hetherington paid tribute to Hardaker for his contribution since returning to the club where he won three Super League titles and was crowned Man of Steel in 2015.
He added: “If you look at our form in the second half of the season, I must give great credit to the players but Zak Hardaker in particular because he came in at a difficult time.
“He’s played in nearly every game, he’s versatile and can play well at full-back and centre or wing if needs be. His versatility, his enthusiasm and his ability have been a great asset and he’s certainly been a contributing factor in the team’s success in the second half of the season.”
Hetherington met with head coach Smith this morning to discuss plans for a restructure of the club’s rugby department, with current assistants Jamie Jones-Buchanan and Sean Long coming to the end of their roles.
Jones-Buchanan has been appointed as the club’s first-ever head of culture, diversity and inclusivity, while Long is leaving the club altogether. Hetherington said: “The season is still ongoing for us and won’t end until October 8, when we play New Zealand.
“But now is the time to be putting our plans and thoughts into operation. We’re working hard behind the scenes to put in place the various changes to personnel in the rugby department and that will all unfold in the next three or four weeks.”
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