BENTLEY SPUR
Former Saint out to be a winner not a sinner
REFORMED Leeds star James Bentley insists he will keep his temper in check when it matters the most – against old club St Helens at Old Trafford.
The aggressive second-row had a nightmare start to life at hometown Rhinos this season after leaving the champions.
He was red-carded on debut and picked up three different bans – totalling nine games – before June due to foul play.
However, in the second half of the campaign Bentley has been squeaky clean and helped Rohan Smith’s side surge into tomorrow’s Super League Grand Final from fifth position.
Saints could easily try and wind up their hot-headed former player in the fiery cauldron of a 60,000 crowd.
But Bentley, who won the 2020 Grand Final with them, insisted: “I’m confident I’ll be able to stay in the zone – and just stick there.
“I know what I need to do, to do my job, do it well and do what I need to do for the team.
“That’s the main thing. It couldn’t have gone much worse for me at the start of the year – red carded after 15 minutes of my debut is not how I wanted it to go!
“But I’ve put all that behind me. I had a few chats with Rohan.
“I was probably trying to do too much in a game and have too much of an effect.
“I’ve had some decent form and we’re playing well as a team which is the main thing.”
There’s been a furore over his former Saints team-mate Morgan Knowles’ inclusion tomorrow after the England forward saw a two-game ban for a ‘chicken wing’ tackle overturned following a second appeal.
“I know Morgs, I’m good mates with him having played there for years,” he said. “I want to be playing against him.”