Better players, greater team spirit, more ready: why Leeds Rhinos are on track to climb Super League ladder

There was a gloomy mood around the club on September 22, 2023, before Rhinos’ final game of a miserable campaign which ended with them a lowly eighth in Betfred Super League. Since then it has been largely, perhaps even entirely, positive.

A 46-0 win over Castleford Tigers ended last season on a high note, with several young players impressing. In the months after that Rhinos have sealed a record naming rights deal for AMT Headingley, signed several exciting players including the 2022 Man of Steel, seen a host of youngsters impress in trial games and announced a new contract for arguably their best home-grown talent, Harry Newman.

Other than a few relatively minor niggles, coach Rohan Smith’s side will go into Friday’s opener at home to Salford Red Devils with a fit and healthy squad who are third-favourites to lift the trophy at Old Trafford on October 17. That might be overly-optimistic, but from the doom and gloom of five months ago there’s suddenly a buzz about the place. So, what has changed and is the confidence justified?

First and foremost, Rhinos have a better squad than last year. High-quality recruits have been signed in key positions and Leeds will field a new spine which, if it plays to its potential, could light up the competition.

Full-back Lachie Miller is relatively inexperienced, with just 19 NRL appearances to his name after switching sports from rugby union sevens, but was noted for his line-breaking ability in the Australian competition and has electric pace, which is something Leeds have lacked. Scrum-half Matt Frawley also has a point to prove, having under-achieved during a previous one-season spell in Super League with Huddersfield Giants five years ago. He played only 22 times in four subsequent seasons with Canberra Raiders, but featured in last year’s NRL play-offs and is older, wiser and more mature than the last time he played in England. If everything goes to plan, he will be the organiser who allows stand-off Brodie Croft to display the defence-splitting talents which made him the best player in the European game two years back.

Rhinos already had - and still have - two good hookers in Jarrod O’Connor and Corey Johnson, but Ackers will bring more experience to the acting-half role, having established himself as one of the best in the business during his time at Salford. Centre Paul Momirovski was an NRL Grand Final winner with Penrith in 2021 and while he has flitted between clubs since his debut three years before that, they have all been top sides.

French Test forward Mickael Goudemand is another man on a mission, being keen to establish himself at a top club outside his homeland. He will add to Rhinos’ strength in the front- and back-rows, while the final addition, young prop Kieran Hudson, lacks top-flight knowhow, but is young, keen and - at 6ft 5 and 17st 8lbs - has the physical attributes to make a big impact. Rhinos may be a prop short, but have strength in depth across the forwards and many of their second-rowers can also do a job in the middle.

There is a legitimate concern about the depth in Rhinos’ backs, where winger Derrell Olpherts is the only experienced player outside the first-choice lineup. One injury at full-back, centre or in the halves will mean a rookie stepping in or players moving out of position.

However, the most encouraging aspect of Leeds’ pre-season has been the way young players - most of them backs - have stepped up. It is almost certain some of a teenage cohort including Riley Lumb, Jack Smith, Ned McCormack, Fergus McCormack and Ben Littlewood will make their Super League debut this year. Two other youngsters - Alfie Edgell and Tom Nicholson-Watton - both have just one substitute appearance to their name. It will be far from ideal if they have to come in at once, but it is a long time since Leeds had so many prospective first team players waiting in the wings.

Last year, early exits by Kruise Leeming, Blake Austin and Nene Macdonald weakened the squad and hinted at unrest behind the scenes. Of course it can all change once team selections have been made and good players are left out, but - to an outsider looking in - the spirit in the current group appears better than it has been for years. In a nutshell, the players seem to like each other; there are no obvious egos or cliques and everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet.

Pre-season this time has been more focused than 12 months ago. More or less the full squad have been together from the early days and there’s been none of the distracting experimentation, trying players out of position, which marred the build up to 2023. Leeds then weren’t ready for round one, but they look better prepared now.

Though the practice games haven’t been all plain sailing, Rhinos have shown in patches what they are capable of - enjoying try scoring purple patches in the wins over Wakefield Trinity and Hull KR - and have the makings of an exciting and entertaining team to watch.

All this means expectations have been raised and pressure will quickly mount on coach Smith if Leeds make their now traditional poor start. Missing out on the play-offs again would be a disaster, but Rhinos should be aiming for the top-four and semi-finals in all competitions. Whether they are ready yet to challenge the likes of Wigan Warriors and St Helens for the Super League title remains to be seen, but this does feel like the beginning of something good for Rhinos after far too many years in the doldrums.