Warrington's Ryan Atkins hopes he can make home-town club Leeds pay for not to snapping him up as a youngster this Saturday.
Wolves centre hopes to show home-town club they made the wrong decision
Ryan Atkins hopes he can make home-town club Leeds pay for their decision not to snap him up as a youngster when he lines up for Warrington in Saturday's Carnegie Challenge Cup final at Wembley.
A Rhinos fan, Atkins was turned down by Leeds for being too small and instead forged a career with rivals Bradford and then Wakefield before joining the Wolves last September.
Having started his league career at Stanningley, the club that also produced Leeds duo Jamie Peacock and Jamie Jones-Buchanan as well as Warrington team-mate Garreth Carvell, Atkins attracted the attention of Rhinos' scouts.
"Leeds looked at me but they told me I was too small so I ended up going back to union with Bramley Phoenix," the 24-year-old recalled.
"Bradford then came to watch me play for the first team. We got beat 52-7 and I didn't even score the try but they offered me a trial and it went from there.
"I suppose I was small at the time because at Bradford I had to do weights twice a day to bulk me up - I was always pretty fast but I needed to work on my size - and it helped."
Atkins may have bulked up but he still found himself only the fifth-choice centre under then Bulls coach Brian Noble.
However, a £20,000 move to Wakefield kick-started his career and when Leeds showed interest for a second time, Atkins soon discovered he was not short of suitors.
"Leeds and Wakefield were talking before Warrington came in for me," he revealed.
"I'm not sure how far it went but, as soon as I knew Warrington were interested, I knew it was the best move because the club was moving in the right direction and I knew Tony (Smith) from the England set-up."
Support
Atkins' family remain Rhinos supporters but he is not worried about split loyalties this weekend.
"I was a Leeds fan when I was younger," he said. "My favourite player was Paul Sterling - I even had the blue cycling shorts - and all my family and friends are Leeds Rhinos fans so it's going to be a good day for them.
"When they played St Helens in the semi-final, obviously I wanted them to knock lumps out of each other but I wanted Leeds to come through.
"I've got a lot of good friends there - one of my best mates is Lee Smith so it will be good to come up against him.
"My family will support me, even though they are more or less all Leeds fans.
"Once they see their cousin or brother or son lifting the trophy, that will outweigh the disappointment of seeing their favourite team lose."
