Rhinos Academy in focus: Harvey Butterworth

Ahead of every Rhinos Academy game this year, an Under-18s player will share more about themselves and their journey so far in Rugby League, their development in Chev Walker's team, and offer insight into the Rhinos camp.

With three games to go, Harvey Butterworth talks more about the side's run-in, which includes Saturday's game against Leigh Leopards.

Leeds Rhinos Under-18s have three games to go in their season as the young Rhinos look to bounce back from defeat last time out to lock up a home semi-final spot. A fresh string of fixtures awaits against Hull KR, Hull FC and Leigh Leopards this Saturday, giving Chev Walker's side an almost immediate chance to respond to their defeat against Warrington after last week's break in the fixture list.

With a bounce-back opportunity on the horizon against Leigh, Harvey Butterworth said that the team are determined to return to their early-season form and finish the regular season on a high. The hooker has missed the last two games, but the clash with the Leopards gives him a chance to get more minutes under his belt and an opportunity to impress the Rhinos staff. Reflecting on what it means to return to the pitch, he said: "I'm happy to get out there with the boys. I've been working on myself and my fitness and everything, so I'm ready to prove that I'm ready and all that."

The hooker has also struggled with a concussion from his debut in the 42-6 win over Huddersfield, but after completing the return-to-play protocol, he said that the Rhinos staff have put him in the best position to kick on and continue his development. "It was quite hard," he said.

"I was only on pitch for about two minutes, so it was quite hard. But everyone was behind me, helping me out through rehab and everything, so I just bounced back. I've built my fitness and strength up, and that's thanks to the work of the team here at Leeds. I feel like it's a lot better. Matty Clegg's been helping me a lot with my fitness and my strength. I've been asking him most of the day about fitness. He's been there for me quite a lot. It's really important because you get along with them, and it's like you have a good relationship with them."

As he looks ahead to Leigh, Harvey remains focused, emphasising that a fast start will be critical. "Yeah, we're looking to have an impact," he said. *"We're not going to underestimate them, but we're looking to set the tempo in the first 10 minutes. We're keeping the focus on the week-by-week, though.

"We're not bothered about other teams, we're just making sure we're ready for each game. The loss to Warrington hasn't impacted the group; we're just playing our game. Obviously, we've had a tough loss against Warrington, but we're just playing our game and hopefully get the win against Leigh this time around."

Finally, when it comes to competition within the group - particularly among hookers - he sees it as healthy motivation. *"It's really good, obviously, training after. We're all friends and that, but you have to prove to them that you think you're better than them and work harder than them.

"Everyone's pushing each other in their spots, so it's all good. We're all friends, we're all happy with each other, happy for each other's success and that. It's good competition for everyone."