Leeds Rhinos coach Richard Agar looks to future after heavy St Helens defeat

BOSS RICHARD Agar admitted Leeds Rhinos “weren’t good enough” in last night’s semi-final defeat at St Helens – but insisted there are exciting times ahead.
By Peter Smith
Published 1st Oct 2021, 23:22 BST
Updated 2nd Oct 2021, 08:04 BST
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Rhinos’ season ended in a 36-8 defeat as the home side went through to next Saturday’s Betfred Super League Grand Final against Catalans Dragons.

Agar said: “It will hurt, we weren’t good enough on the night – I thought it [the final score] was a fair reflection.

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“We were beaten by the better team on the night, we didn’t execute and like we needed to or get to the levels we needed to get to.

Thanks: Leeds Rhinos full-back and try scorer Richie Myler applauds the fans after the play-off semi-final defeat against St Helens. Picture: Steve RidingThanks: Leeds Rhinos full-back and try scorer Richie Myler applauds the fans after the play-off semi-final defeat against St Helens. Picture: Steve Riding
Thanks: Leeds Rhinos full-back and try scorer Richie Myler applauds the fans after the play-off semi-final defeat against St Helens. Picture: Steve Riding

“Some of that laid at our feet, but the relentless pressure they played at and the speed and power they played with played a part.

“They made it very difficult for us. Our start was nowhere near where it needed to be, but I thought we showed plenty of fight in there. “

Reflecting on the season as a whole, Agar paid tribute to the “fight and resilience” shown by his men in the face of a host of injuries, suspensions and Covid.

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“We’ve had to show some real resilience to hang in there at stages in the year,” he added. “I am proud of the way we have hung in. We need to build and move on from here. We are heading in the right direction and I am excited about the next couple of years in front of us, the way we are building our team.”

Related topics:Richard AgarSt HelensRhinosCatalans Dragons

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