Leeds Rhinos challenge excites '˜wanted man' Brad Dwyer

The elusive hooker is preparing for his first campaign with the Super League champions after joining on a two-year deal.

Dwyer debuted in the Boxing Day friendly against Wakefield Trinity and makes his league bow in a week’s time when the West Yorkshire club start their title defence, coincidentally, at his former employers.

Although he has worked alongside some brilliant hookers during his time at Warrington – including Micky Higham, Michael Monaghan and, latterly, Daryl Clark – invariably it has meant the 24-year-old has spent much of his career coming off the bench.

Indeed, since debuting with Wolves in 2012, Dwyer started just 13 games with another 76 appearances coming as a replacement.

“It put me in a difficult position but it’s something I’ve always enjoyed really,” he recalled to The Yorkshire Post.

“Playing alongside good nines has never really fazed me. I’ve played with some massive players and got quite a bit of experience from that.

“It did make it tough for me early doors and I didn’t get as much game-time as I wanted but I cracked on.

“You have to be a certain personality, though, to be able to do that and it got to the point where I needed to push on further and try and prove myself.

“I had been at Warrington for a while and felt I’d not really pushed on to the potential I thought I had.

“It was then whether I stuck there and tried changing something up or actually move and see if that freshened me instead.

“I’ve had quite a few loan spells in the past and when I’ve gone into new environments it has freshened me up. It’s gone well for me here so far.”

Yet Dwyer clearly realises he has fierce competition at Headingley, too, given Australian Matt Parcell earned a place in the Super League Dream Team and won the Grand Final during his debut campaign last year.

“He was probably the best nine in the comp’ and now that’s another challenge that I have to face,” he said, having, in contrast, ended up battling against relegation with Warrington in the Qualifiers.

“But as long as I’m performing and getting some game time that’s all that matters.

“It was a tough year last time with Warrington but you can’t really get a better move than going to the overall winners.

“Leeds won the comp’ but I wasn’t really thinking about that.

“It was just the thought of a fresh start, a new challenge and actually being wanted that pushed me towards this move and so far that has been good for me.”

With his diminutive stature and acceleration out of dummy-half, there are obvious similarities with the man he is replacing in the Leeds squad – the recently-retired Rob Burrow who also became renowned later in his glittering career for making a real impact off the bench.

Coach Brian McDermott noted that when recruiting the much-rated player who was on the losing side in the 2016 Challenge Cup final against Hull FC.

On what the Leeds chief has asked of him ahead of the new season, Dwyer said: “He likes how dynamic I am out of dummy-half.

“But he wants me to work on what I’ve done when I’ve got out of dummy-half, like bringing players onto the ball.

“It’s been good so far, very different and I’ve enjoyed it. It’s a massive learning curve for me but I’m enjoying my rugby again.”

Dwyer, who played on loan with Huddersfield Giants in their 2013 table-topping campaign and also at Swinton Lions and London Broncos, is relishing the early return to Halliwell Jones Stadium.

“I didn’t really think it’d be the first game so I was a bit shocked when I saw that but there’s no better way to start,” he said.

“I might as well get it out of the way first off. It is something I’m really excited about.

“I’m still friends with quite a lot of the lads there and I’m sure we’ll have a bit of a laugh before the game. But it’s a massive test; they’ll be up for this and desperate for a good start.

“I think last year we went seven without a win (before ironically beating Rhinos) and that proves how much the start really matters in the current format.

“But we want one, too, to get a good couple of games under our belt before we go to Melbourne for the World Club Challenge.”