Richie Myler knows Jack Walker will bounce back from Cup final disappointment

Rhinos coach Richard Agar will announce his 21-man squad on Thursday but he told his players his line-up on Wednesday morning and Myler could resonate with the disappointment of those left out, having experienced similar heartache in 2010.

Myler says he was up for a bench spot in Warrington’s team for the match against Leeds 10 years ago only to lose out in coach Tony Smith’s final selection.

He was then a similar age to the 21-year-old Walker, who got the Rhinos’ number one shirt at the start of the season and has played in the last three Super League matches after recovering from a foot injury.

However, Agar has kept faith with Myler, a specialist half-back who deputised superbly at full-back during Walker’s two-and-a-half-month absence.

“There were a couple of boys this morning who didn’t get the greatest news,” Myler said.

“It’s awful, it’s the end of the world, it happened to me three days before the 2010 Challenge Cup final.

“Once the dust settles, you learn from it and you learn why it’s happened, there’s often a bigger picture.

“It’s not a nice learning curve but that’s rugby league and those boys will bounce back. And to be fair the boys have been tremendous today. They really ripped in.

“We’ve still got some other big games coming up. We want to be fighting for the top four.”

Myler says he was consoled in 2010 by Vinnie Anderson, one of the bench players for the game which Warrington won 30-6, and will be happy to give Walker the benefit of his advice if he wants it.

“I’m probably the last person he wants to speak to at the moment but he’s very much a team player,” Myler added.

“Jack has got a very old head on young shoulders. He’s an unbelievable talent and I’m sure he has a very long future at Leeds and a very long future in the game. I’ll be an ear for him if he wants to vent some things.

“It’s unfortunate that he’s had an injury and he misses out but he’ll bounce back and he’ll be around for a very long time.”