Leeds Rhinos fans blast 'flat, silly, uninspiring' performance in loss v Wakefield Trinity

Wakefield Trinity secured their second win of the season against Rhinos thanks to Mason Lino’s last-gasp drop goal, but the Yorkshire Evening Post’s supporters jury reckon Leeds beat themselves by making far too many errors. Some individuals stood out for our panel, but they want to see a better team effort with the ball in hand.

DAVID MUHL

Usually, I don’t mind losing when we are beaten by a team that plays better than us and we put in real effort. Both things were true about Thursday’s game, but the manner of the loss, the last second drop goal, was shattering.

For the neutral, this had everything and must have been a great game on TV. It’s good to see the fans coming back to Belle Vue. Super League is better with a strong Wakefield. Overall, we didn’t play badly; our defence was superb, only being breached a few times. The same can’t be said about our attack, we simply gave the ball away cheaply too many times.

I don’t know why Leeds feel the need to score off every play. Some of the offloads were suicidal. We must learn to play with a little patience. The loss of Jake Connor with a head injury didn’t help; once he went off the field, we looked flat and devoid of ideas although Brodie Croft looked good when he attacked the line - something he should do more of.

On a more positive note, Presley Cassell had a good game and looked like he had been playing first grade for years. It was good to see Jack Sinfield getting some game time and kicking his first Leeds goal. It was obvious from his style who has been coaching him. Kallum Watkins was my man of the match. He has been a revelation since returning to Leeds, his work rate is immense both in defence and attack.

We’re fourth in the table with Saints and Wakefield snapping at our heels. With fixtures against Leigh, both Hull teams and Wigan still to come, we will have to be on our best form to keep this position going into the play-offs. I think this will be a really exciting run in.

BECKY OXLEY

The third derby of the season against Wakefield was truly a thrilling match. With a full house on a Thursday night and ideal playing conditions, it could not have been much better, aside from the two points we missed. Defensively, we were solid, although at times we were overly ambitious in our own half, resulting in some errors as we threw the ball around. However, I believe this reflected our desire to win.

Supporters were quick to point out that the referee made several mistakes and was incorrect on a few calls. Personally, I thought he officiated fairly and was balanced for both teams. Harry Newman had an outstanding performance and, in my opinion, was the Rhinos’ standout player. His tackling and offensive play were exceptional - he was as strong as anyone and advanced the ball effectively.

This week we have a much-needed break before we enter the crucial phase of the season. We are comfortably positioned in the top-six, performing better than we have in the past couple of years. I am eager to see how we finish the season and how the final weeks unfold.

IAIN SHARP

I suppose one thing from the outcome of the defeat at Wakefield was that it was a headline writer’s dream: ‘Lino floors Leeds’. For the majority of the game, Leeds seemed to suffer the perennial problem of trying too hard, with silly off-loads and unforced errors at crucial times. We have looked far more effective this season when we have settled down, done the basics right and not tried to force things.

The first game of the season should have shown that Wakefield would be competitive this year and there’s also the local rivalry to factor in. In the end, the arm-wrestle of a game came down to the fact Wakefield could execute their drop goal opportunity and we couldn’t.

Finally, as a long time South Stander, I would like to mention the sad passing of former referee Robin Whitfield. He used to take great pleasure in winding up the South Stand by running on, wheeling in front of the stand and waving the match ball while receiving the usual flurry of stick from the fans. His last game as a referee was Leeds’ crazy 46-46 draw with Sheffield Eagles. While referees will never be on the fans’ proverbial Christmas Card list, may he Requiescat in Pace.

TOM GOLDSWORTHY

In what was another uninspiring performance from Leeds, we slumped to a one-point loss right at the death against Wakefield. While Wakefield were the better team and deserved the win, it's always disappointing to lose in that fashion.

Even though we had a few key players out, our performance was nowhere near good enough. It was similar to the performances against St Helens and the first half against Salford; we just panicked when we had the ball, which led to error after error. Leeds under Brad Arthur are at their best when they are patient in possession, like against Wigan and Hull KR, so it's frustrating to watch us perform like this when we know how good we can be.

I appreciate I might be being too critical of our number six, but Brodie Croft needs to be scoring that drop goal attempt. As one of our marquee players and for the money we splashed out on him, Croft needs to be stepping up in those crucial moments and winning the game for us. If Mason Lino can do it for Wakefield, why isn't Croft doing it for us? As I have said previously, when Jake Connor is off his game or s we struggle to perform and this is what happened on Thursday.

While this loss isn't the end of the world, we need to stop this current string of performances and get back to what we do best, as soon as possible. I am confident we can secure a place in the play-offs and it is definitely in our hands, which is an improvement on last season, but anything less than a top-four finish would be disappointing given our good start to the season. Let's hope this Leeds team haven’t peaked yet and the best is yet to come.