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.
