FORMER Bulls loanee Anthony Mullally will make his competitive debut for Leeds in Sunday's World Club Challenge against North Queensland Cowboys.

The 24-year-old Ireland prop, who has joined the Super League champions on a three-year deal from Huddersfield, made a brief appearance for them against the touring New Zealanders at Headingley last October, when he sustained an ankle injury.

The call-up of Mullally is one of three enforced changes to the Rhinos side that lost 56-12 to Widnes in Super League on Sunday as coach Brian McDermott confirmed the absence of Carl Ablett, Tom Briscoe and Ashton Golding with injuries that are expected to keep them out for six to eight weeks.

Winger Ash Handley, who deputised for Briscoe for four months last season when the England international was sidelined with shoulder trouble, and second rower Josh Walters, who came off the bench to score the winning try in October's Grand Final, are the other additions.

McDermott said forward Jamie Jones-Buchanan and new hooker Beau Falloon are close to recovering from injury but Sunday's game will come too soon for them.

The Rhinos boss also confirmed that, in the absence of new captain Danny McGuire, his starting half-backs will be 19-year-old Jordan Lilley, who made only his second Super League start on Sunday, and 21-year-old Liam Sutcliffe.

They will be up against experienced duo Michael Morgan and Johnathan Thurston, who last night was presented with his third Golden Boot as the best player in the game.

Thurston will lead a full-strength Cowboys team, with coach Paul Green confirming the line-up that gained a 17-16 golden-point win over Brisbane Broncos in the NRL Grand Final in October.

Green says his team will not be underestimating the Super League champions despite the departure of Kevin Sinfield, Jamie Peacock and Kylie Leuluai at the end of last season and their latest injury problems.

"Leeds have been a proud club and very strong team for a number of seasons so obviously they have a winning mentality," said Green.

"From what I can see, they've certainly got a very good culture and, when you come up against teams like that, there's an expectation that whoever wears the jersey does the job so with that in mind we're expecting a tough game.

"We'll also be playing in conditions that we're certainly not used to – it's about 40 degrees back home."

McDermott said his young half-backs were "excited as can be" but admits the team's preparation for their seventh World Club Challenge has been far from ideal.

"Because of the little bit of adversity we've got at the moment, it is a challenge," McDermott said. "We've got to get over a very good team."

Leeds: Z Hardaker; A Handley, J Moon, K Watkins, R Hall; L Sutcliffe, J Lilley; K Galloway, R Burrow (capt), A Cuthbertson, B Ferres, B Delaney, B Singleton. Subs: M Garbutt, J Keinhorst, J Walters, A Mullally.

North Queensland: L Coote; K Feldt, J O'Neill, K Linnett, A Winterstein; M Morgan, J Thurston (co-capt); M Scott (co-capt), J Glanville, J Tamou, G Cooper, E Lowe, J Taumalolo. Subs: R Kostjasyn, J Asiata, S Bolton, B Hannant.

Referee: R Silverwood