David Fusitu'a has withdrawn from Leeds Rhinos' squad to take on Leigh Leopards in pre-season. The robust winger, who endured a stop-start maiden campaign in 2022, was due to start in the Rhinos game against Adrian Lam's side.
However, having been named in the initial team named by Rohan Smith, the Rhinos hastily removed the team from social media and once an amended version emerged online, Fusitu'a was not included. He was due to start at centre and was replaced by Levi Edwards.
Smith had namechecked Fusitu'a in a pre-match interview with the club, confirming he was due to play and would be tried out at centre with both Nene Macdonald and Harry Newman unlikely to be fit for round one. It is, at this stage, unclear what has forced him to drop out of the squad.
