Brian McDermott has admitted he is unsure on the fitness of Joel Moon ahead of the club’s visit the Castleford on Friday.
Moon was forced to pull out of the club’s victory over Hull FC on Thursday with a groin injury picked up in the warm-up.
Rob Burrow took his place in the halves as the Rhinos all but secured second-place.
However, the Leeds coach conceded that there were some concerns over the fitness of Moon, who has had an instrumental role in Leeds’ success so far this season.
“He’s pulled a groin,” McDermott said.
“He had no problem in the week but pulled a groin in the warm-up.
“It seems to be a bit of a problem so we’re not confident he’ll be ready next week either.”
Meanwhile, McDermott praised winger Tom Briscoe after he put in a strong performance in their win over his former club.
Briscoe was heavily criticised for a poor display against Hull in the Challenge Cup semi-final, but McDermott, who was among his critics, admitted he has responded well.
“He’s been good for us the last few weeks Tommy,” he said.
“He’s not out of the woods, when you play like he did and it was an open conversation that we all had after the semi-final, when you have the involvements that he did there, there was blood in the water and he’s got to fence those off and punch some sharks in the nose to get them away from you because people will sniff you.
“So far, he’s been answering all questions asked of him and that’s not to be sniffed at, it’s a big thing for him.”
