Kruise Leeming column: Leeds Rhinos captain on finishing fifth, Catalans challenge and Davidson's departure

That runs through the veins of everybody at Headingley and it’s not a club where finishing fifth in the table makes it a successful season.

It could be for some other clubs, but not us. Leeds is such a prestigious club and we know the fans see anything less than lifting silverware as a failure of a season.

We wanted to be higher on the table, but what fifth place does is give us a chance to achieve something special and it keeps the fans’ hopes and dreams alive.

That is something I am proud of. After all the turmoil we have been through this year, we really want to give our supporters something to shout about.

We are going to have to do it the hard way, away to Catalans on Friday and, if we get through that one, either St Helens or Wigan next week.

It doesn’t get much tougher, but we are up for it and personally, I am excited about what the next few weeks could bring.

As captain, sometimes you need to make speeches and gee people up. It’s difficult to stay switched on every single week and sometimes you are playing teams who aren’t in good form or don’t have much to play for.

But at this stage, when you get to the play-offs, every team you face is in good form and has everything to play for so there’s no need for any extra motivation and nobody has to manufacture enthusiasm.

There’s not a lot I need to do or feel like doing to get lads up for the game. Everybody is ready and raring to go and there’s a fantastic atmosphere and a real buzz in the camp.

I find these games easier and better to play in. Obviously the competition is harder, but the adrenaline is pumping, everyone knows what’s at stake and it’s occasions like Friday you play our sport for.

Catalans away is as tough as it gets, but they aren’t going to take us by surprise. It’s our third visit there in not much more than a month and the fourth time we’ve played them this year, so we know a lot about each other and we are aware of what the travel is going to be like and the conditions we’ll face.

We’ve won one against them in Perpignan and they’ve won one, there wasn’t much in it on either occasion and I don’t think this week will be any different, but we are confident we can go there and get the job done.

We’ve looked at what we did right in the other games and what we need to improve on and we definitely have to be better than we were against Castleford last week.

It was great to win right at the end like that and we’ve had a few of those ugly victories recently. That’s a good attribute to have and it’s a sign of a good team if you can win when you’re not playing well, but we don’t want to be in that situation too often.

We have to be better, especially with the ball in hand, to make sure we are not having to chase games, especially in a high-pressure environment like the play-offs.

Last week I paid tribute to the players who are moving on at the end of the season and this time it’s one of the staff, our team manager Jason Davidson.

Davo has been at the club since 2006 and was so welcoming when I joined Rhinos three years ago.

He has been fantastic for me, he is a great guy and a good character to have around the place.

He is well respected within the club and was a massive part of the success the club has had. He’s also been influential for people like Jamie Jones-Buchanan. Jonesy stood up in a meeting this week and spoke really highly of him and I totally agree. I have experienced at first hand what a good bloke he is and I am gutted he is leaving.

I wish him all the best and I am sure, with the characteristics and personality he has got, he will do great in whatever comes next.