Catalans Dragons v Leeds Rhinos - Super League play-off team news
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Rhinos are without Harry Newman (broken leg), Adam Cuthbertson (shoulder) and Tom Holroyd (hand) - plus long-term casualty Stevie Ward (head) - owing to injury and Alex Mellor is suspended.
But Tom Briscoe, Konrad Hurrell, Matt Prior and Richie Myler are all available after two weeks’ self-isolation kept them out of the back-to-back fixtures against Wakefield Trinity which ended Leeds’ regular season.
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Hide AdLuke Gale, Alex Sutcliffe and Cameron Smith were rested for the second of those games but are set to feature and on-loan Brett Ferres is also in contention. His Featherstone Rovers club-mate James Harrison retains a place in the initial 21 after impressing in the win at Mobile Rocket Stadium, Belle Vue.
Luke Briscoe, Callum McLelland, Sam Walters and Jarrod O’Connor drop out from the side on duty in Leeds' previous game.
Of the team beaten 34-6 by Catalans at the end of September, only Jack Walker, Alex Sutcliffe, Rhys Evans, Ferres, Bodene Thompson and Harrison are included. Rhinos prop Ava Seumanufagai will make his 150th career appearance, Myler needs four points to reach 500 in Super League and Ferres’ next try will be the 100th of his career.
Catalans’ only game in the past month was a 42-24 defeat at Salford Red Devils on November 2.
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Hide AdSam Tomkins, who needs 14 points to reach 1,000 in Super League, Joel Tomkins, Matt Whitley, Jason Baitieri and Mickael Simon are all included in Dragons’ initial squad after missing that match. Benjamin Jullien is the player to drop out.
Catalans Dragons: from Mead, Langi, Folau, Yaha, Maloney, Drinkwater, Casty, McIllorum, Moa, Whitley, J Tomkins, Garcia, Bousquet, Simon, Davies, Goudemand, Seguier, Baitieri, Mourgue, Kasiano, S Tomkins.
Leeds Rhinos: from Walker, T Briscoe, Hurrell, Handley, Lui, Gale, Seumanufagai, Leeming, Prior, Martin, Dwyer, L Sutcliffe, Myler, Oledzki, Thompson, Evans, Smith, Donaldson, A Sutcliffe, Harrison, Ferres.
Referee: Chris Kendall (Huddersfield).
Kick-off: Friday, 7.45pm, at Warrington.
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