Leeds Rhinos star Rhyse Martin predicts 'best game of year' from Hull FC amid uncertainty over own future

The goal-kicking forward reckons Hull will pull out all the stops at MKM Stadium on Sunday as they bid to turn their season around and pile more pressure on out of sorts Leeds. Hull began the round second from bottom of Betfred Super League, having won only one of their nine league and cup matches this term.

That victory came in the final seconds against winless London Broncos and they have conceded at least 50 points in four of their last five matches. Ex-Rhinos boss Tony Smith left the club earlier this month and Simon Grix – brother of Leeds’ assistant-boss Scott Grix – has taken over as caretaker chief.

He is working alongside Francis Cummins, a former Leeds player and assistant-coach. Newly installed director of rugby Richie Myler, who left Rhinos at the end of last season, has been active in the transfer market and Hull will have some new faces in Sunday’s team, though yet another ex-Leeds star, winger Tom Briscoe who returned to his first professional club earlier this week, is ruled out through injury.

After a 58-0 loss at St Helens in their previous game, it is clear the Black and Whites are preparing to throw everything at Rhinos and Martin predicted: “Everyone wants to beat Leeds and no doubt we will go to Hull and they’ll have their best game of the year. We have just got to be ready for it.

“We’re not looking at past weeks and all the points that have been scored against them. We should be ready for a tough game and I am sure Hull will turn up on Sunday.”

Leeds have problems of their own. Last weekend’s 30-24 loss to Huddersfield Giants was their fifth in nine competitive matches this season and left them eighth in the table, two points outside the play-offs.

“It was another missed opportunity,” Martin accepted. “We’ve had some unfortunate losses; we believe we should have been winning these games and that’s why we are feeling quite disheartened at the moment.

“We have just got to learn from it as a team, use that as a strength, take the positives out of it and try to move forward from it. We are not dwelling on it, but we definitely feel like we are a team that is capable of a lot higher things so that’s why we are feeling a bit down at the moment.”

Rhinos dominated the first half against Giants to go in at the break 12-2 ahead. Huddersfield levelled early in the second period, but Leeds again pulled away and went 24-12 up before the wheels came off in the final quarter. They showed in spells what they are capable of and Martin reflected: “In the first half we put into place what our gameplan was and did that really well as a team, then in the second half we started slow and didn’t have any momentum.

“We got that back with two quick tries, but then fell in a heap again. All it is is moments in the game and we are where we are today and two points goes begging.”

Six of Leeds’ next eight matches are against bottom-four sides so they have an opportunity to climb the ladder if they can find some form, but Martin stressed there’s no such thing as an easy fixture. “Every game until the next break [for the Challenge Cup semi-final weekend [on May 18-19] is quite crucial,” he said.

“We need to be competing and we need to be beating the top teams. We shouldn’t be thinking about ‘easy games’, we should be winning the hard ones and we should be up at the top, but at the moment we are just feeling a bit let down by some of our recent performances.”

On a personal note, Martin has been one of Rhinos’ most consistent players this season, despite switching between second-row and centre. The Papua New Guinea captain, who joined Leeds in 2019, is out of contract in November and understood to be on the radar of at least one NRL club. “I am not sure what I want to do yet,” he admitted. “I am playing good footy and personally I am trying to do my job for the team.”

Martin began round nine as Super League’s third-highest goal scorer with 24 from 28 attempts - a success rate of 85.71 per cent. There was surprise when Lachie Miller took a conversion in the loss to Warrington Wolves earlier this month, but Martin explained: “I copped a knee clash - my right knee was pretty banged up and that’s my kicking leg. I couldn’t put any weight through it; I don’t think I’d have been able to kick the ball - I couldn’t really bend my leg. I was busted, so I had to hand it over to Lachie.”