Coach Rohan Smith says he's right man for Leeds Rhinos job, pledges 'significant change' to best 17 in 2024

Rhinos will be out of Betfred Super League’s top-six race if either Warrington Wolves or Salford Red Devils win on Friday, or Leeds fail to pick up two points at Catalans Dragons the following day.

With two rounds remaining, Rhinos are eighth and - speaking in the wake of last week’s 50-0 home loss to Wigan Warriors - chief executive Gary Hetherington said their squad next year will be different and “has to be capable of challenging at the top of Super League”.

At his weekly press conference today [Thursday], Smith pledged: “It will be a new group, with significant changes to the makeup of our best 17.

“The first process will be to prepare really well and I believe we will have a group that can contest.”

Smith declined to reveal how many changes are likely, but five players with a 2022 squad number have already left the club and Sam Walters and Liam Tindall will move on at the end of the current campaign.

Newcastle Knights’ Lachie Miller, Matt Frawley of Canberra Raiders and Catalans’ Mickael Gudemand will join Rhinos in 2024 and Smith said: “Recruitment and retention is something we are working on every day and all year, to try and make our roster better.

“There will be some additions and some subtractions at some stage, but how many - how long is a piece of string? We will see what’s available and what we can do to improve.”

Pressed on whether he believes he is the right man to take the club to finals and trophies, he said: “Yes.

“Nothing has changed in one result. That question wasn’t asked last week, nothing changes with one result, in my head or in reality. That’s something for [the media] to speculate about, no doubt. I’ll just keep getting on [with the job].”

Last Saturday was Rhinos’ record home defeat in Super League, but Smith added: “There’s some great teams in our competition this year that have had some big defeats and some teams in the NRL that have had heavy defeats and are playing in the play-offs now.

“Every game is a one-off, whether you win or lose. You move on to the next game. We are very disappointed about it, but we had a very young team, a lot of experienced players not playing, on a hot day against a very good team.

“It got out of hand for sure and we are all hurt by it, but we have got back to work and everyone’s working hard to get out there and put a good performance in this weekend.”

Rhinos’ initial 21 for Saturday includes three players who have yet to make their first team debut, with prop Tom Nicholson-Watton the latest to be called up.

The 20-year-old replaces Sam Walters, who is suspended, in the only change to Rhinos’ squad.

“We’ve got seven or eight guys who are in their first year of playing Super League, or playing every week,” Smith noted.

“It is a challenge, but it is great for them. I believe in all those guys, they are getting good experience and they are all growing.

“Almost everyone in our squad at the moment has been asked to do something more than they have done before.

“Players who weren’t official leaders have been asked to lead now, everyone has been stretched and challenged and that’s where you get growth. You don’t buy teams, you develop teams - that’s reality.”

Aidan Sezer is still ruled out through concussion, so Jack Sinfield could make his third successive start at scrum-half on Saturday.

“Jack is getting great experience in very tough circumstances,” Smith said. “The team is not flowing, there’s a lot of chopping and changing and a lot of players missing.

“Ideally, you’d put an 18-year-old half-back into a team that’s playing well and that’s where you learn, but that’s not reality. Jack’s a tough kid, very mentally strong and he’s embracing that challenge.

“Other players like James McDonnell and Tom Holroyd, who have played most games this year, are in their first year of playing Super League every week and they’ve done great.

“Other guys like Ash Handley and Cameron Smith have been challenged in other ways, stepping forward and taking leadership of the team.

“They have been asked to do things they haven’t done before and they’ve done well at those things. It is a process and they will grow together, these guys.”