If Leeds Rhinos had known at the start of the 2023 season they’d win away to St Helens, Wigan Warriors, Warrington Wolves and Hull FC, a top-four finish, at least, would have seemed nailed on.
duly achieved all those victories, as well as beating Huddersfield Giants twice and ending Catalans Dragons’ undefeated start to the year in round six, but as things panned out, it was one of the most frustrating and disappointing campaigns in the club’s modern history.
Inconsistent is an understatement. Rhinos were capable of going from rocks to diamonds - or vice versa - not just from week to week, but within games.For the most part they were competitive, though should be the bare minimum for such a club. Leeds lost 15 of their 27 Betfred Super League fixtures and six of those defeats were by a converted try or less; until round 25, they had been beaten by more than 10 points only twice and had a positive points difference of 66.
The final game, a 46-0 home thrashing of Castleford, redressed the balance slightly and provided a little cause for optimism: David Fusitu’a hat-trick, teenage half-back Jack Sinfield’s performance and the debut of youngsters Alfie Edgell and Tom Nicholson-Watton. Unsurprisingly, when round one came Leeds looked way off the pace in a 42-10 loss at Warrington. There needs to be more focus this time on hitting the ground running and while versatility is good, fans would prefer to see players in their specialist roles.
As coach, the buck stops with Rohan Smith and he faced a backlash from fans at games and on social media. But Smith proved last year his teams can win matches and he is still only midway through a long-term project.