Cuthbertson not bitter about England snub
Leeds forward Adam Cuthbertson says he isn’t bitter about not getting a call-up for England for the Test series against New Zealand last year.
Cuthbertson was a dynamic presence in 2015 in his first season for the Rhinos, helping the club claim a treble of trophies and being shortlisted for the Man of Steel award.
But the 30-year old, who was born and raised on Sydney’s northern beaches but is eligible for England through his Warrington-born father, was overlooked by Steve McNamara.
England went on to beat the Kiwis 2-1 but Cuthbertson wasn’t told by the national team coach why he wasn’t selected.
“There was nothing,” he told Love Rugby League.
“To be brutally honest, there was just nothing at the end of the year.
“But, I’m not bitter about it at all. It’s probably good for me for club level to have that break after such a long season.
“It was the first time I’ve played that many games in a season.
“In one sense it was very disappointing, not not getting called up, but having [not] been spoken to.
“Not giving me something to work on or anything, but it is what is. I went on holiday and had a break and got back to training hard for my team.
“I don’t know, there’s always reasons there but they had a good series and that’s all that manners.”
McNamara was well-stocked for front-row options with the likes of James Graham, Mike Cooper, Chris Hill and Tom Burgess, while George Burgess ad Alex Walmsley were out injured.
Cuthbertson scored eight tries and set up five others in 29 appearances last year.
He made more offloads than any other player in Super League, 59 more than the second-highest in Liam Watts, and he was ranked eighth in the whole competition for metres made and third in carries.
Despite his heavy workload in 2015 the former Manly, Dragons and Knights player is ready to go for the new campaign.
“I feel good,” he said.
“Obviously they manage really well over here. Everyone who plays in Super League is used to the schedule.”
Leeds are aiming to defend their treble this year and Cuthbertson believes the Rhinos have enough fresh blood, in new signings and young players coming through, to keep the squad ambitious.
“We’ve got to stay hungry,” he said.
“We’re just out for our own success as a team. We’ve got a lot of new faces who haven’t really won anything.
“There’s a lot of hunger and desire in this team to be successful again this year. There’s no question about that.”
