Time for Rhinos to step up – Singleton
HUDDERSFIELD GIANTS’ Ryan Hinchcliffe believes star NRL signing Ben Barba is a “coup” for Super League even if he is yet to set the competition alight.
The controversial Australian full-back will make his third appearance for St Helens when they host Huddersfield tonight.
He joined in May after a brief stint with Toulon but still had to serve a 12-game ban after testing positive for cocaine just days after Cronulla Sharks’ Grand Final win last October.
Barba, 26, gave an erratic performance as Saints left it late to win at Wakefield and keep their top-four hopes alive last week.
Former Melbourne Storm loose forward Hinchcliffe has faced him many times and, despite his chequered background, said: “He’s very strong, elusive and a very good player. He had a great year in 2016 with the Sharks and he’ll add something to that team.
“It’ll take a while for him to find his feet but he’s a talented player and it’s a coup, for sure; he’s a former Dally M Medal winner, was sensational last season and he’s exciting.
“He’s still only young so his best footy is probably still ahead of him and he’s at a good club in St Helens.”
Although keeping the ex-Canterbury star in check will be key to Huddersfield’s chances tonight, they also need to concentrate on their own form.
Rick Stone’s side, who spent the first half of the season near bottom, delivered a woeful 52-14 defeat at Salford last week to end their own unlikely top-four bid.
After so much progress in recent months, Hinchcliffe conceded it was a painful experience.
He added: “For a lot of us, Salford was a bad day out and we need to make sure we turn up with the right attitude, because that’s what we missed on the weekend. To beat St Helens we’ll have to be a lot better otherwise it’ll be a tough day again.
“And Saints are going to be hungry, aren’t they? But I think for us this week, it’s about us.
“We’ve had a good second half of the year and built some team spirit through that time – now it’s about protecting that and making sure we have a strong finish going into next year.
“We have to make sure we don’t lose any credibility and we don’t switch off.” LEEDS RHINOS’ Brad Singleton insists momentum will prove key if the club are to end their 2017 campaign on a perfect high.
The Rhinos play their last game of the season at Headingley tonight against a Salford Red Devils team with little to play for.
But Singleton believes – despite the Rhinos being long assured of second spot in the final Super League standings and therefore a place in the play-off semi-finals – that Leeds need to sharpen up their act in the next couple of weeks in order to be in pole position to win the Grand Final at Old Trafford next month.
“We need to approach the next two weeks like we are getting ready for finals football,” said Singleton.“We have got to get ourselves into some sort of form and gain some confidence and just lay a platform down for the semi-final. If we end up having two good games we will be mentally and physically flying.
“It will be very rare you will see a team under-perform for a month and then go and win the Grand Final.
“I think it is more like the old structure now where this is basically play-offs and we all have to be on the money from now on.”
Long-term casualty Brett Ferres is set to return for Rhinos tonight, a knee injury having restricted him to just one appearance in the last 10 games.
After four matches on the sidelines following minor surgery he made an attempted comeback in the Challenge Cup semi-final defeat to Hull in July, but has not played since.
Fellow back-rower Brett Delaney, who missed last Friday’s defeat at Castleford after suffering a hamstring problem in the warm-up, is also included.
Joel Moon (groin) could return following a two-game lay-off.