JACK Walker admits he will not know until Leeds’ team is picked if he will be playing at the Grand Final as he is not a mind reader.
Then again, neither will the other man who could play at full-back instead of him, Ashton Golding.
Both young guns are among the leading lights of the next generation of Rhinos stars as their golden era drags further towards the end.
When back-rower Jamie Jones-Buchanan made his debut, 18-year-old Walker was not even born!
And one skill the teenager definitely has not mastered is being able to read what coach Brian McDermott is thinking. He did admit that he has not made up his mind yet and that it is a big call.
Walker said: “It’s hard to say what will happen because I can’t read Mac, but playing at Old Trafford would turn my dream into reality.
“It’s mad how this season has gone because I’m from Leeds and have grown up supporting the club.
“To now be in with a chance of playing in a Grand Final, I’m pinching myself. I’m almost speechless.”
Walker was set to leave Leeds earlier this season when Golding signed a new five-year deal, apparently confirming his status as the Rhinos’ first-choice full-back.
But Walker committed his own future to Leeds after penning a new contract himself and is now threatening to usurp his more senior team-mate, who at 21-years-old is a veteran!
Walker added: “Ashton is a great player and I’ve got things in my game that he needs and he’s got things in his game that I need.
“We are very close and we help each other out. I’ve just got to keep pushing for that number one shirt and staying here was the right call for me.
“I’m confident I can play better than Ashton and I can’t even describe how mad it would be if I played in the Grand Final. I would be over the moon.”
Golding also admits picking a full-back for Old Trafford is a difficult one for McDermott, who went with Walker for the semi-final win over Hull.
He said: “This selection problem has been there week in and week out for Brian.
“Jack and I have both hit some decent form and I think it’s down to the opposition now – who we are playing and who suits the game better.
“I know Jack’s mentality and we’re quite close in that we work together heavily at training.
“Even if we know we’re not playing, we’ll still work together for the sake of the team.
“There is no point having a personal battle with each other when it’s detrimental to the team.
“But I don’t know when Brian will pick his team, but I’m just going to train hard and give him no reason not to pick me.”
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