'Fire in my belly': Leeds Rhinos' Kruise Leeming talks aims for 2023; captaincy, new squad and pre-season

Leeming scored five tries in 22 appearances last year, including Rhinos’ first touchdown in their Grand Final defeat by St Helens.

But a stress fracture in a foot, suffered against Hull in July, led to a long spell on the sidelines and Leeming was a substitute in Rhinos’ three play-off ties, when Jarrod O’Connor started at hooker.

The 27-year-old was a contentious omission from England’s World Cup squad and there is no shortage of motivation for the new campaign, but Leeming insisted all his focus is on “just getting on with my job”.

“I have got a lot of fire in my belly this season, but I am just going to get on with it,” Leeming pledged.

“I want to fly under the radar and let my rugby do the talking; whether that be off the bench for the first bit or starting.

“Whatever it is, I am going to do my job for the team, what the team needs me to do and do it to the best of my ability.

“That’s what I have always done, all my life and what I am trying to do. I am looking forward to the season, I have got myself in good shape and I feel fit.

“I am taking things from my end and that’s all you can do in professional sport, control the things you can control.”

Speaking after the Boxing Day game against Wakefield Trinity, coach Rohan Smith said there will be “no imminent announcement” about Rhinos’ captain for 2023 or the leadership group.

Leeming was made skipper ahead of last season and stressed: “I’ve loved being captain of Leeds Rhinos, it is a massive thing and given the chance to do it again, I would love to.

“It’s something I feel is an honour to do and I really enjoyed doing it, but if I don’t get it, whoever does will get my full support and I will be 100 per cent behind them.”

Rhinos are now just six weeks away from their opening Betfred Super League fixture at Warrington Wolves, on Thursday, February 16.

Leeming said pre-season has been “good, really enjoyable” and is confident preparations are going according to plan.

He noted: “The lads are training really hard; we’ve got a young team at the minute and it seems to be a good thing, really enthusiastic, everyone with a point to prove.

“There’s loads of competition for spots and Rohan is trying people out in different spots, which is keeping everyone else on their toes.

“I think it’s a very good environment to be in at the minute, I am enjoying it and I am training with a smile on my face.

“Normally pre-season is a dull time because it’s hard work, but they’ve made it enjoyable. The staff have been brilliant.”

An influx of new signings has also had a positive effect, according to Leeming.

He said: “With our group of lads, it’s easy to settle in.

“There’s nobody with a chip on their shoulder, they are a really down to earth group and it’s a young group.

“The new lads have been really good, they’ve settled in really well.”

Rhinos began their pre-season campaign with a 38-20 home loss to Wakefield Trinity on Boxing Day and are back in action on Saturday, January 21, when they travel to newly-promoted Leigh Leopards.

Leeming was one of a handful of first team regulars on duty in the Christmas fixture and felt it was a valuable hit out, despite the result.

“The way we defended and stayed connected as a team looked good,” he said.

“I feel like we looked fit - in those games you just want to get through it as a full team with no injuries and for everyone to get a good run.

“It is almost like an extra conditioning session for us, that’s the way we look at it, against an opposition that are throwing shapes at us we haven’t seen in pre-season.

“You can do 13 v 13 within the camp, but ultimately we know the shapes and the calls so it is a little bit different to defend against a team that have different shapes and different calls coming at us.

“Then, I think it was promising for the youth on show and how they stood up. Wakefield came with a strong team and for us to hold them out for so long and have like an academy team playing at times, I think we did ourselves proud and it looks good for the future.”