News: Leeds coach will leave naming his team for the WCC

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Zep

Bencher
Danny Buderus and Brent Webb miss out while Rob Burrow is a doubt but Ryan Bailey has been cleared to play. 

Manly have named 13 of their Grand-Final winning players in their squad but have lost Steve Bell, Mark Bryant and Steve Menzies. 

Prop Brent Kite has remained in Australia on compassionate leave. 

Buderus tore cartilage in his knee against Wakefield on 13 February and will be out for up to six weeks while Webb is still recovering from shoulder surgery. 

But McClennan is confident Leeds have the strength in depth to cope with Buderus' loss. 

"It is disappointing for him as he's so keen to make his mark here - that's on hold now for a month," said McClennan. "It is a routine operation and there was no point risking further damage. 

"But we are fortunate that we have another world-class hooker in Matt Diskin, who has carried on where he left off last season with a great start to this campaign. 

"We are very confident in that area of our team going forward, not just for Sunday's game against Manly but the games in the following weeks as well." 

McClennan is hoping Burrow can overcome a back injury which has kept him out of his side's opening three Super League games as the Rhinos aim for back-to-back wins in the competition. 

They beat Melbourne last year in the annual match between the Super League champions and the winners of the NRL in Australia in a game which McClennan described as their toughest of the season. 

Super League teams have won the last five World Club Challenge matches with the Sydney Roosters the last Australian winners in 2003, but Manly chief Grant Mayer said some Australians still rate the English domestic competition as "second tier". 

That opinion does faze England captain and Leeds prop Jamie Peacock. 

"I don't think we need to show how good Super League is," said Peacock. "It's a bit like 'my dad's harder than your dad' from the playground. It's childish. 

"We've got a great competition and the NRL is a great competition. It's a chance to show that when these two clubs play against each other. 

"We should be promoting both of them, not criticising them." 


Manly's preparations for the match have been disrupted with several key players going down with a stomach bug. 

A second-string side were 20-0 adrift of Harlequins at half-time in their warm-up fixture last Sunday, before an injection of experience from the bench turned the game and produced a 34-26 win. 

And captain Matt Orford is confident his side has the quality to match Leeds. 

"With the preparation the club have done to put the emphasis on this game, we know how important it is for a Sydney team to try and bring the trophy back," said Orford. 

"It's important for the club. We've worked very hard to put ourselves in this position and we don't want to let ourselves down." 
 
Lyon moved to Manly from Saints at the end of the 2006 season

Former Man of Steel and St Helens favourite Jamie Lyon will revert to centre from stand-off - where ex-Newcastle Knights player Chris Bailey will make his competitive debut for Manly. 

Jason King is promoted in the front row in place of Kite, with George Rose set to make his comeback from an 18-month lay-off with a double fracture of his leg. 

The side includes winger Michael Robertson, who scored a hat-trick of tries in Manly's 40-0 Grand Final win over Melbourne in October and went on to play for Scotland in the World Cup. 

"We've had a light hit-out since we've been in Leeds and most of the London training was really good," said Robertson. 

"There are a lot of things stacked against teams coming over here but the plan is to turn that around. 

"This is a big start to our year. It is different to what we usually do. We came over here to try to begin the 2009 campaign on a roll."

<a href="http://www.silvertails.net/news/Sea-Eagles/leeds-coach-brian-mcclennan-will-leave-naming-his-team-for-sundays-world-club-challenge-match-again.html">Read the full article</a>
 

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