'Disappointing, inconsistent, frustrating': Leeds Rhinos fans slam 2023 season and demand better next year

Over the past eight months they have had to make sense of performances ranging from sublime - or pretty good might be more accurate - to ridiculous.

Here, in their final contribution of 2023, our panel of supporters look back on a disappointing campaign, pick out their highs and lows and assess Rhinos’ prospects for next year.

DAVID MUHL

How do you sum that season up in three words? Disappointing, inconsistent and frustrating. Wins over Wigan, Saints and Catalans showed what we could do and there were games we lost by a point or two - against St Helens, Castleford and Hull KR - which we could have won with a few less errors.

If we’d done that we would be in the playoffs, but big losses to Wigan and Catalans away at the end of the season showed the dark side of this team and an early exit from the Challenge Cup was another disappointment.

There’s no doubt injuries and players leaving has been an issue; from the team that beat St Helens at the beginning of the season, seven players have either left or ended the year injured. No team can cope with that sort of upheaval.

We now have a closed-season to rebuild and restart. I am sure Rohan Smith is the man for the job of building a team of mainly local lads, plus the odd signing who will add experience. All our winning teams, the late 60s 77-78, the golden generation, have been built around local youngsters and if we do that I’m sure we can get back to winning ways. We have had some good youngsters coming through and hopefully this year’s experience will serve them well.

Cameron Smith deservedly won the player of the year and has been consistently our best, but mention must also go to Rhyse Martin who has played every minute of every game and in numerous positions. A real accomplishment.

Some players have had poor seasons, but hopefully a good pre-season will see them return to being the players we know they are.

Despite the disappointment on the pitch we continue to show what great club we are. I'm already looking forward to next year.

BECKY OXLEY

Where do I start? In my opinion it has been a very frustrating and inconsistent season. Looking back at my pre-season preview, I predicted a top-four finish. In the end it was eighth place and the constant reminder that we are rebuilding and have a young squad.

I think this is where the frustration among fans comes from; hearing this week-in and week-out is mundane and boring and we are left wondering how long we are going to keep hearing it.

We got some really good wins during the season. Wigan away was a good example, with great energy and attack coming from the team. We then played them at home and lost 50-0 by being the complete opposite - scrappy and disjointed.

Maybe not having a named captain has made a difference, not having that one person to show direction and give words of encouragement.

It has felt like a long season and difficult to watch at times. 2024 is a new season and a new beginning so let’s hope we can learn from this one and come together as a team and supporters and make the leap year one to remember.

TOM GOLDSWORTHY

In my first Jury piece I claimed that this was the year Leeds would win the treble again, but in true Rhinos fashion we failed spectacularly in all three competitions.

The 2023 season will go down as one of our most disappointing in the Super League era, which is mainly due to the excitement and expectation surrounding the club following a run to the Grand Final in 2022.

Part of the failure comes down to the dismal recruitment of players over the past few years. A club of Leeds’ stature in Super League can’t afford to get it wrong on so many occasions and we have paid the price this season. It is easier to name the players that have come in and made a positive impact than those who have joined and left Leeds in a worse state than before.

The hierarchy at Leeds needs to be held accountable as we have signed far too many players recently who should be nowhere near our club.

The players themselves need to take their fair share of the blame as well. Too many senior players have not performed or shown enough effort this season and we have suffered as a result.

Losing games is not the issue, it is the manner in which we have lost. Throughout the season you can pick out defeats and say this should not be happening at Leeds Rhinos, the standout losses being to Wakefield, Wigan and Catalans.

If Rohan Smith is to stay at the club he needs to show some steel and sort these issues out sooner rather than later.

There have been moments throughout where Leeds showed their true potential and how good we could be.

Terrific wins at St Helens, Wigan and Warrington provided hope that another trip to Old Trafford could be on the cards, but the team always let us down when they needed to perform.

A major change is needed at Leeds, but I am not sure there is enough time before the 2024 season to fix our mountain of issues.

IAIN SHARP

Firstly, the biggest disappointment is that I am writing this now and not in a car park outside Old Trafford after the Grand Final.

The naysayers would have you believe that this has been the worst season, littered with the worst performances ever, but while this hasn’t been the best season for Leeds, it certainly hasn’t been the worst.

Performances have been staccato to say the least, with any resemblance of a run of form being snuffed out by injuries or some off-field crisis.

If you’re a glass half full-type person, then the departing players were perhaps the dead wood or bad apples in the squad inherited by Rohan Smith, soon to be replaced by the players he wants to bring in and who want to play for him.

Recruitment is the key in the off season. My fear is that there is too much to replace in one go, with a new half-back partnership needing to form and gel from the off.

While the departure of Sam Walters to Wigan, to be nearer home, is understandable, the loss of other promising youngsters is a worry.

One thing is for certain, come late February we’ll all be there again, last season but a distant memory and full of hope and expectation that the next crop to wear the famous blue and amber will be the ones to bring us the glory we crave.

SAM BROCKSOM

Another disappointing season has come to an end and it is now six consecutive years where we haven’t made the top four.

The standout signing has been James McDonnell, who slotted into the second-row position with ease. Sam Lisone has been okay and the rest have disappointed or haven’t been given enough time to show what they can do.

For me the best game of the season had to be the drop goal victory at Saints; one of the only good moments from Blake Austin and the first game of what would be three great battles between the two sides.

The worst moment of the season was the loss at Wakefield, giving Trinity their first win all year. There were plenty of poor moments this season to choose from, but this was a standout.

Looking ahead to 2024, the signing of Lachie Miller looks a very good one. We still need another half-back and a centre, since Nene Macdonald won’t be coming back.

The jury is still out on Matt Frawley, but it all depends on who we bring in to pair with him. Richie Myler is the easy and cheap option so I wouldn’t put it past Rohan and Gary Hetherington to do that, but we need another experienced half. It’s just the matter of who is available.