Leeds Seek Win and Respect From Australia

Gary Hetherington, the Leeds chief executive, believes a Rhinos victory over Melbourne Storm on Friday would represent a major step in earning more respect from the Australians both for the World Club Challenge, and the Super League.

Hetherington concedes that the recent domination of the fixture by British clubs - who have won six of the eight games since it was re-established in 2000 - is a reflection of home advantage and also the fact that some National Rugby League champions have treated it as a glorified pre-season trial.

But he hopes a Leeds win over a Melbourne team who have brought the same professional approach to England that established them last year as Australia's most dominant side for a decade would be taken at least a little more seriously - and may even lead to the Challenge being played outside England, either in Australia or on neutral territory, next year.

"The significance of this game is that we've been in awe of the NRL and everything Australian for so many years but I do genuinely think we've now got a competition that's beginning to rival the NRL," said Hetherington. "If one of our teams can beat their best with all things being equal more or less, that will be a very significant day for our game. We've got an advantage playing in Leeds in February, no question about that. But once the game kicks off, it's there, isn't it, it's a game, and the best team will win."

Hetherington dismissed the suggestion of Craig Bellamy, Melbourne's coach, that the game could be played at the end of the season. "That would obviously be ideal in many ways but it's not practical with the World Cup at the end of this year and a Tri-Nations series arranged for the next couple of autumns after that," he said.

"But I do think there's a recognition from the NRL in Australia as well as Super League Europe over here that the fixture is gaining strength as a concept, and that the NRL and SLE are becoming more proactive in terms of identifying potential locations. That could be Hong Kong, it could be Dubai, it could be back in Australia - rather than it being in England every year. Let's look at where else we could take it.

"We've already showed this year with the success of our game against South Sydney in Jacksonville [in the United States] that you can create interest in new markets. There are a lot of cities around the world pining for top-class international competition, and the World Club Challenge is the best versus the best."

There were no surprises in the 20-man squads announced by Bellamy and the Leeds coach, Brian McClennan, yesterday. Matt Geyer, a 32-year-old utility player who is the only survivor of Melbourne's foundation season in 1998, will be given the daunting task of filling in at hooker for Cameron Smith, the Storm captain who has stayed at home with his heavily pregnant partner, and the former schoolboy international Russell Aitken is expected to start at stand-off in place of the injured Greg Inglis. Ben MacDougall, who has returned to league after three years playing rugby union in Scotland, is likely to miss out.

McClennan has the option of selecting the same starting 13 and four substitutes who thrashed St Helens in last year's Super League grand final, although Ryan Hall, Nick Scruton and Luke Burgess have also been included in the Rhinos squad.