Matt Lodge is set to make his Leeds debut off the bench when the Rhinos travel to York on Sunday, with Brad Arthur treating the game as an important part of the club's title-race preparation.
Leeds and Wigan are level at the top of Super League on 36 points with four regular-season games left, and Arthur believes the run-in is likely to go right down to the wire. Leeds's home slip-up against Leigh left them top only on points difference, so the margin for error is now extremely small.
Arthur wants tough tests before Wigan showdown
Arthur said the next three games are crucial, with the Wigan meeting sitting third in that sequence and potentially deciding the outcome. He also made it clear that York will not be treated as a routine fixture, pointing to the way they have been performing at home and the pressure they have put on opponents.
York have started games strongly, stayed in contests and made teams work hard to beat them. Arthur also referenced St Helens's win at Wakefield on the weekend as another reminder that any side can punish opponents who switch off, especially if they have players returning to the lineup.
For Leeds, the timing of Lodge's arrival adds another layer to the week. The former North Queensland Cowboys prop landed in the UK on Sunday and now looks set for his first outing in blue and amber, giving Arthur another option as the Rhinos head into a difficult closing stretch.
What comes next for Leeds
Sunday's trip to York is one of two away games Leeds are using to sharpen themselves for the title race, with the final game of the campaign set to be at home against Hull FC. Arthur said that is exactly the kind of schedule his side needs if they are going to be ready for a possible League Leaders' Shield decider with Wigan.
Jack Bird will miss the York game as he works through concussion protocols, but Leeds still have a chance to keep building momentum before the most important matches arrive. The Rhinos last won the League Leaders' Shield in 2015, and with four games left, they remain in position to chase it again.
