Come on Leeds Rhinos, show some ambition: latest talking points after another tough week

Their season is petering out, fans are growing increasingly weary after years of disappointment and there is, so far, little sign of things improving in the near future.

The home defeat to Leigh Centurions was played in a funereal atmosphere as Leeds were beaten by a team with only half a mind on the job at hand, in a drab game when the hosts created very few clear chances.

All that at the end of a week which saw the club’s only senior stand-off leave without anyone being brought in to replace him. Here’s five talking points.

1: Neither party came out of the Blake Austin saga with much credit.

Austin’s request to leave came 48 hours before the transfer deadline, leaving Rhinos with almost no time to find a replacement.

On the other hand, it is August and he still hadn’t been told whether he would be offered a new contract. Players’ livelihoods are at stake and they deserve some clarity.

From what the YEP understands, Austin trained with Leeds last Wednesday and that evening chief executive Gary Hetherington received a phone call from Tigers - having been sounded out by the player - asking if a deal could be done.

That left Rhinos with two choices: either hang on to someone who didn’t want to be there, or let him leave.

Rhinos weren’t impressed with comments made by Austin in interviews and on social media, but that had no bearing on his exit and the club had fully expected him to see out the rest of the season with them.

2: It is unlikely Rhinos will close the four-point gap on sixth spot with just six games remaining in the regular Betfred Super League season.

It will be the sixth successive year Rhinos have finished outside the top-four. The last time a barren run like that happened was 1948-54.

There were some boos at the end of last Sunday’s game and fans are clearly upset and worried about the current situation, understandably so with decisions yet to be announced on a host of players coming out of contract and only one signing confirmed thus far.

Other clubs, most notably Wigan Warriors, have made some eye-catching additions for 2024 and supporters fear Leeds will be cast further adrift.

Apparently, things are happening behind the scenes and new signings are lined up for next year. Fans would feel a lot happier if there was some evidence of that.

3: Rhinos have been in almost every game they’ve played this season and most of their defeats could have gone the other way, which would have left them in a far healthier situation on the league table.

Leeds have certainly been competitive, but the lack of a ruthless streak, poor execution and an inability to build on winning positions have been their biggest failings this year.

They have to get more from their spine next year or it’ll be deja vu all over again. Once more, that comes down to bringing the right players in. The bottom line is, the club needs to show more ambition, otherwise fans will vote with their feet.

4: There were some positives from the Leigh game. Luke Hooley, at full-back, did well in his second Super League appearance and another rookie, centre Luis Roberts, had a strong game.

Inevitably there will be calls for Smith to give more youngsters a go if and when the top-six is firmly out of reach, but those same voices will also demand results, which puts the coach in a difficult position.

If the likes of those two plus Jack Sinfield, Leon Ruan and Alfie Edgell get an opportunity, supporters must accept they are still learning the game and will make mistakes.

It’s unfair to write a player off because he has one or two bad games early in his career. That said, it hasn’t been youngsters who have let Rhinos down this year.

5: It took video official Liam Moore an age to decide Jarrod O’Connor had dropped the ball over Leigh’s line, after referee Marcus Griffiths had indicated a try.

Supposedly there should be clear evidence to overturn an on-field decision, but if it takes the video ref more than a couple of views, clearly the evidence isn’t, well, clear.

The RFL would save itself a lot of bother by getting rid of the on-field call, or limiting video refs to two or three replays and if he’s still not sure, go with the whistler’s original thought.