There's little denying that Blake Austin's absence from Leeds Rhinos' upcoming clash with Salford Red Devils is a bitter pill to swallow. The halfback has been in excellent form in the last two weeks, inspiring the team to victories over Huddersfield Giants and Warrington Wolves.
The challenge now is for Leeds to find a way to cope without him on Sunday for what is a very important game in the context of the league table. That responsibility ultimately falls on Rohan Smith. One thing he isn't short of is options. Throughout the season several people have played in the halves and the same names will be considered once again.
But if there is one lesson to be learned from Leeds' recent return to form, it is that putting square pegs in square holes seems to pay off. Smith has developed a reputation for being a tinkerer, an experimenter if you like, when it comes to playing his talent in different positions. But ultimately, it has not worked more often than not.
Take the two most recent defeats to Castleford Tigers and Wakefield Trinity. Smith opted to put Ash Handley at fullback, Nene Macdonald on the wing and Richie Myler in the halves. Granted, all three of those players have experience in those positions, but their performances simply suggest they are better when used in their favoured positions.
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But for the two latest victories, the trio have played wing, centre and fullback respectively, and contributed significantly to their team in the process. Macdonald looks more assured defensively at centre than the edge while Myler is more effective as a support player than he is an organiser. Handley has scored three tries in the last two games and one of them needed finishing well against Warrington. Macdonald, for all his strengths, isn't the most natural finisher.
Injuries always force a coach to shuffle their deck and Smith has found himself having to do that plenty of times during the season. Having that versatility is only a good thing. But while Austin's loss is an undoubted blow, the whole dynamic of the team doesn't need to change when there is another genuine halfback in the equation.
Jack Sinfield might not have the dynamic run threat that Blake Austin poses and physically he isn't as imposing but he's proven that he is capable. Is he the finished product? Far from it, but he is a young halfback who can do a job and allow others to play in positions that make the team stronger.
There will be a temptation to move players around again but, after two good performances, it would take a brave man to reshuffle several players, players who have performed well no less, when there is a replacement waiting in the wings. You only need to look at Sinfield to accept that defensively, he is likely to be spotted up, the teenager will still fill out in years to come but he would naturally be a target of Salford.
Managing without Austin will be challenging whichever way you try to rectify it. But with the team finding some cohesion and form in the last few weeks, keeping people in positions they are performing in looks like the logical move.
