'Abject': Leeds Rhinos fans upset after Wakefield Trinity claim Super League spoils

Though Rhinos fans have become accustomed to defeat in Betfred Super League round one, there had been high hopes this year would be different. It’s too early to write Rhinos off, but some of our panel are upset with individual players. Here’s what they made of Leeds’ disappointing start.

IAIN SHARP

I once had a car. It looked great in the showroom and had a host of up-to-date features. The only problem was, when there was any serious work to be done, the vehicle spent most of its time in limp mode. Thus, there were striking similarities with Leeds’ opening game of the new Super League season.

Fifteen thousand hardly souls braved the gloom and freezing conditions, buoyed with a hope that, after all the pre-season changes and the club’s PR machine on overdrive, things might be different this year. The aspiration was forwards caged all winter, fed only raw meat, would come out of the traps sniffing blood, while the backs ran riot.

Instead we were at times treated to an impression of the local Darby and Joan Club outing, backed up by a cabaret of goal post impressionists. Behind on the scoreboard, numerous forwards were noted strolling about in front of the Wakefield line, rather than the desired gut-busting effort to get us back on level terms again.

Casual observers will see the scoreline and assume it was close. Some fans will blame it on the referee, planetary alignments or Donald Trump; in truth, lacklustre Leeds only had themselves to blame. There was a brief rally after half-time, when presumably Brad Arthur caused the changing room paintwork to bubble, before falling back into the same old ineffective ways again.

One crumb of comfort for the beleaguered Rhinos: it perhaps wasn’t the worst performance in Leeds that day. That dubious honour falls to Leeds City buses. If a reminder was needed of how far behind the oval ball fans of this city are treated compared to their football neighbours, it took a staggering 45 minutes after the game had ended for a single bus to turn up outside The Original Oak on Otley Road. As with the rugby, fans deserve better.

DAVID MUHL

Leeds suffered a disappointing loss to Wakefield in the first game of the season. Every season, I start by believing this will be the year we get back to winning ways, only to be let down. It is, though, only the first game of the season. There’s a long way to go, giving Brad Arthur time to work on the team - and Wakefield did play really well.

I’m sure BA will be clear on the issues they have to work on. We must play as a team, there were 13 players on the field on Saturday, but at times it looked as if they’d never met before. Ryan Hall was the only standout player, working tirelessly while the team seemed to lack a clear plan, had poor last-tackle options and a subpar kicking game. Wakefield easily breached the Rhinos defence, particularly on our right side.

We didn’t seem to be getting the ball away quickly enough from half-back. There’s no doubting Andy Ackers is a class player, but he seems to be out of sorts at the moment. I hate picking individual players out for criticism, but - for me - Harry Newman just isn’t hacking it and didn’t at the end of last season. His defence is appalling and although he scored a try, he’s offering little in attack. On Saturday he gave away one of the worst and most unforgivable of penalties, for stealing the ball when there were obviously at least two players in the tackle.

As I said earlier, it’s only the beginning of the season and there’s plenty of time to put things right, but it would have been nice to start with a win and begin to make Headingley a fortress again. And - to make things worse - we drew St Helens away in the Challenge Cup. It would have been nice to get a home draw against one of the lesser teams, but as my old dad used to say, you have to beat the best to win the Cup, so why not get it over and done with? Roll on the rest of the season.

BECKY OXLEY

The 30th Super League season has commenced and I am filled with immense excitement. My unwavering optimism has led me to envision a top-six finish and even a potential final appearance.

This positive outlook is largely attributed to the documentary ‘Spirit of the Rhino’ and the uplifting atmosphere surrounding the club during the off-season. Despite the opening match’s outcome, I found myself reflecting on the familiar challenges that lie ahead. Wakefield presented a formidable test and their performance was undeniable. However, I had anticipated a stronger start to the season, showcasing our potential and securing crucial points.

Regrettably, our team lacked the necessary spark, resorting to excessive wide passes and limited progress on the field. While the second half demonstrated improvement, it was insufficient to secure the two points. Brad Arthur acknowledged the shortcomings of our performance, but the need for collective improvement was obvious. Our upcoming fixture against Salford presents an opportunity to assess our strengths and weaknesses.

It is imperative we unite and address the areas that require attention. By working together and refining our team dynamics, we can emerge stronger and more resilient for the challenges that lie ahead.

TOM GOLDSWORTHY

For the third year in a row, I am backtracking in round one following my optimistic season preview, after Leeds were stunned on Saturday by newly-promoted Wakefield. While signs of improvement were there for Leeds after a poor 2024 season, it is apparent a lot more improvement is needed.

I do appreciate it was the first game and the team will need to take time to gel, but some players continue to be completely absent from making any impact on the game. If it was reserve players I would have more sympathy, but when it's your starting scrum-half and hooker who are letting the side down, it's hard to come up with excuses for them, especially after a full pre-season under a competent coach.

We were crying out for leadership in that game and both failed to impose themselves as senior players. It is not the first time Matt Frawley and Andy Ackers have come under fire and Brad Arthur will be quick to drop them if performances do not improve.

One of the main issues for me is that it felt like the team let the occasion get to them. There was a lack of composure from Leeds in key moments, whereas Wakefield managed it a lot better than us, especially when our errors led directly to them scoring.

There didn't seem to be any fluidity in attack either as players tried to do it by themselves on a regular basis. I think this will come with time, though and if this game was to be played in round three or four, we'd have won quite comfortably.

I have already seen some fans panicking, but it is important to remember no season is decided after one game and we have the perfect opportunity to put things right against Salford next week. They still seem to be stuck in their yearly crisis and if they are 'forced' to field their reserves again, we should use the chance to build confidence in the squad and put them to the sword.

GAVIN MILLER

Leisure time is precious, I work long hours during the week, including travel, which limits my leisure time down to the weekends. At weekends, I have children to spend time with, a partner and family and friends. That limits the spare leisure time I have even more.

This weekend just gone I had a choice to make on how I allocate my leisure time. At 3pm on Saturday, Leeds Rhinos were kicking off the season at Headingley while my other sporting love, Aston Villa, were also kicking off at 3pm at home to Ipswich Town.

I made the decision with my limited leisure time to go to Headingley to watch the reborn Leeds, confident that would be the most entertaining decision. How wrong was I? Despite Villa scraping a 1-1 draw with the third worst team in the Premier League and struggling against a low block of only 10 men, watching them spurn chance after chance to ultimately come up short would have ultimately been more entertaining than the rubbish served up by Leeds against Wakefield.

I mean it was abject, lacking in any entertaining qualities, utter dross, boring and so lacklustre it was borderline embarrassing. I won’t be travelling to Salford next week, they will be lucky if I find the time to watch it on the TV.