Leeds Rhinos' David Fusitu'a talks return v Hull FC, hopes for injury-free run, reveals 'we'll be ok' belief

The former New Zealand and Tonga Test winger got through the 80 minutes unscathed in just his 33rd appearance since joining Rhinos ahead of the 2022 season and second of the current campaign. Knee surgery kept Fusitu’a on the sidelines until April and he then endured another long layoff after damaging his other leg in his comeback game, against Huddersfield Giants.

The 29-year-old admitted the dismal result at MKM Stadium overshadowed his return, but on a personal note is hoping injury woes are now behind him. “I was just grateful to get through the game,” he said.

“Obviously I have had some really bad luck this past year and in years gone by so I am taking it step by step and one game at a time. It was good to come away from this game unscathed and I’ll just build on that. Once I get going hopefully I’ll stay on the field and keep playing some good footy.”

Fusitu’a is out of contract at the end of this season and he and the club have yet to announce a decision on his future. Fellow winger Ryan Hall will return to Leeds from Hull KR in 2025 for one final campaign and Ash Handley is also under contract, but Fusitu’a stressed his focus has been on the short-term. He said: “I just wanted to get back on the field, get my first few games under my belt and get my feet under me and hopefully that [his future] sorts itself out.”

Fusitu’a comeback didn’t work out the way he had hoped for the team, though he was one of the few Leeds players to emerge with credit. “I’m really disappointed we didn’t get the result,” he conceded. “You’d almost give away a good [personal] performance for the win.

“I was disappointed for the boys, we put in a lot of effort, but couldn’t get the passes to stick. They were desperate and I think they showed a bit more energy than we had. I thought in that first 20 minutes our forward pack got us going and the boys were just falling through the line. It all looked pretty good up until that point, then a few errors crept in and we couldn’t pull the game back.

“It’s definitely not because of a lack of effort, but the ball wasn’t sticking and I think we chucked a few more offloads than we should have and the bounce of the ball didn’t come our way. That’s rugby league, unfortunately sometimes that happens so we are just going to have to learn from it.”

Rhinos had shown positive signs in their previous game, a 32-4 home win over Castleford Tigers two weeks earlier, but were unable to back it up. “We just need to be better,” Fuistu’a added.

“We need to be more consistent in our performances - we can’t have one game on and one game off. There is still time and a lot of games left to pull the season back. If we put our heads down and work towards that, I think we will be okay.”

As well as crucial to their top-six hopes, Friday’s game against Leigh Leopards will be an emotional occasion as Rhinos play at home for the first time since the death of club legend Rob Burrow. Fusitu’a said: “He is a massive loss to Leeds Rhinos and rugby league so hopefully we can put a good performance on.”