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[John North]

By Peter Smith
Published on Thursday 5 July 2012 08:17
Young hooker Liam Hood has backed Leeds Rhinos’ decision to send him to Dewsbury Rams on dual-registration.


Hood, 20, scored three tries in four substitute appearances at the start of the season, but has since been learning his trade in the Co-op Championship.
Leeds’ other home-grown rake, Paul McShane, is out on loan at Widnes Vikings and the defending Super League champions have been splitting acting-half duties between specialist scrum-half Rob Burrow and Shaun Lunt, who is on loan from Huddersfield Giants.
The dual-registration arrangement means Hood can continue to train with Rhinos and may be recalled at any time.
Hood insisted he fully supports his move to the lower division and he reckons he will come back as a better player.
“It has been good, very beneficial,” he said. “I am playing against men. I know it’s not at the top level, but there’s some great players in that league who you learn a lot from.
“I am enjoying it loads. I think it’s a lot better for me than playing in the under-20s, where you’re playing against people your own age.”
Hood said he has been impressed with the standard in the Championship. “There’s a lot of players who’ve played Super League and dropped down,” he observed.
“They’ve been there and done it and that’s good for me. I am still getting first-team experience and I don’t see it as a step back – it’s more of a step forward.
“That’s what me and Brad [Singleton, who is at Rams on a similar arrangement] wanted, we wanted to get some experience and to play against men.”
Hood added: “I hope I’ll be a better player when I come back. There’ll still be a lot of things to learn.
“There’s things we do differently at Leeds to Dewsbury so there’ll be loads of things to work on, but I think my defence is definitely going to be stronger, because I have been defending week in and week out against men.”
Hood trains with Rhinos through the week, as well as at Rams’ evening sessions.
“That’s good,” he said. “I am still getting to work with [Rhinos assistant-coach] Jimmy Lowes and spend time with players like Rob Burrow and Danny McGuire – and I am also getting to play week in and week out at a good standard.”

[coolie]

Think there i a line missing from the one i read in the castleford times which said "playing for the rams in very simular to playing for the rhinos as this season as lot of time has been spent standing behind the posts waiting for conversions to be taken