Hull FC v Leeds Rhinos: We need to start beating top-six teams warns Kruise Leeming

Leeds Rhinos need to start beating teams above them in the Betfred Super League table, beginning away to Hull tonight, in-form hooker Kruise Leeming says.
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Rhinos are seventh and have managed just one win against the current top-six, at Warrington Wolves earlier this month.

Hull are in fifth place and if Leeds are going to claw their way into the end of season play-offs, it’s a fixture they need to win.

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“Hull are always a tough game,” Leeming warned. “I think we should have had them at home, looking back on it. We bombed quite a few chances, which we’ll be looking to take this time.

Kruise Leeming celebrates after scoring against Salford. Picture by Jonathan Gawthorpe.Kruise Leeming celebrates after scoring against Salford. Picture by Jonathan Gawthorpe.
Kruise Leeming celebrates after scoring against Salford. Picture by Jonathan Gawthorpe.

“If we want to be a top-four team we need to start beating these teams and looking forward to these challenges. I always look forward to them, I always get up for these challenges against the bigger teams.”

Whatever the result tonight, Rhinos won’t have long to reflect on it as they back up in three days’ time at home to Warrington and then play host to Castleford Tigers a week tomorrow.

The spell of three games in nine days comes just three weeks after Leeds played four times in 13 days. Leeming featured in all of those and insisted Rhinos have to attack their latest fixture pileup.

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“It’s not ideal,” he admitted. “But - I know it’s different sports - you look across football, basketball, top-end athletes play three games a week consistently.

“Our’s is a contact sport, I get it is different, but it’s not impossible.

“I just think you have to go into these games thriving on them.

“Sometimes you can win on pure mental toughness and who wants to turn up.

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“I believe we have got a team that really does want to turn up and work hard for each other, so hopefully it plays into our hands.

“With our squad and the depth we’ve got, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be looking forward to these games.

“There’s some other teams who really struggle with the depth in their squad, but we’ve shown how good our young lads can be, so we should be looking forward to this block of games.”

Coach Richard Agar has named a strong initial squad for this evening, with Luke Gale, Zane Tetevano, Mikolaj Oledzki and Tom Holroyd all in contention to return.

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“We have been doing it pretty tough all year,” Leeming reflected.

“If we get our full-strength squad back, it is as good as any team in the league.”

He added: “We can make all the excuses in the book - we’ve never had our best 13 out, from game one - and we have been in every single game, bar the Hull KR one, which was a bad performance.

“We have turned up every week and that’s massive credit to the team we’ve got and the culture we are building, that no matter who comes in, we will still turn up and have a dig.

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“On the other hand, if we had our full team out against Catalans and Saints away, do we win those games?

“It is frustrating, but we don’t want to be a team that comes up with excuses, we just want to go and get the job done.”

Though FC are on the back of a shock loss at Huddersfield Giants a week ago, Leeming reckons they are dangerous opponents. He said: “Hull are good, they are a big set and you know what you are going to get from them - high completions and very hard to break down and score against.

“They make you work hard for your points so it’s going to be a tough game, but it’s one we should be wanting to play in.”

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On a personal note, Leeming was man of the match when Rhinos returned to winning ways with a 38-16 victory over Salford Red Devils six days ago, but admitted his performance was a “mixed bag”.

He said: “I had quite a few errors, but I played pretty well and scored a couple of tries.

“If I’d fixed up those errors I’d have thought I’d had a really good game.

“It’s just about making as few errors as possible, but as a whole I am happy with how I am playing.”

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Leeming began last week’s game in his usual role, then switched to half-back after Liam Sutcliffe was injured. He has filled in there at times this season and regards being able to play more than one position as “another string to my bow”.

He said: “I am happy with that at the minute.”

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