Leeds Rhinos fans happy with win v Warrington Wolves but blast scrappy defence and schoolboy errors

The tense 24-22 defeat of Warrington Wolves ended a three-match losing run and players including Rhyse Martin, James Bentley and Cameron Smith caught our panel’s eye.

But overall, they weren’t happy with the way Rhinos played and reckons a big improvement will be needed at Huddersfield Giants this weekend.

DAVID MUHL

First of all let’s get the positives out of the way because it won’t take long.

We won; we got the two points; there was a bumper crowd of over 15,000; the women got back to winning ways after their cup final disappointment.

Cam Smith continued his good run of form; James Bentley, my man of the match, tackled himself into the ground - I’d love to see his tackle count.

Rhyse Martin’s kicking is back to his best and ultimately was the difference between the two sides.

Now the negatives: we are still making loads of unforced errors. In a past life, I coached an under-eights side and taught them things like: passing the ball to the ‘bread basket’, not around the knees; only play the ball when there’s a player behind you; not kicking into touch on the full and not passing to a player who is stood on the touch line.

These were all things they took on board and were able to execute week-in, week- out, but on Sunday I saw a team of highly paid professionals who seem unable to do these simple basics right.

I don’t like singling individual players out for criticism but what has happened to Mik Oledzki? He’s a shadow of the player he has been over the last few seasons. The team seemed to lack enthusiasm and organisation. This was a game played between two out-of-sorts teams who are desperately lacking confidence.

The good thing for Leeds fans is that Warrington are worse than Leeds, but that doesn’t say much. I think the quicker we forget about this game and move on the better.

On to this Sunday’s short trip down the M62 to Huddersfield. This is another match between two sides desperate for the two points. We will need a big improvement to come away with anything.

BECKY OXLEY

So a sunny Sunday afternoon at Headingley for once - it seems like for most of the supposed summer rugby season it has been cloudy and wet.

I was hoping for a Rhinos win, to try to capitalise on the other results from the weekend and keep a fight on for the top-six. The terraces were buzzing, the atmosphere around the ground was alight.

I was certainly impressed with Cam Smith, David Fusitu’a and James Bentley this week. They were running the ball up strongly and getting through a tough Warrington defence.

There was some good play from the Rhinos, but also some scrappy defence at times which kept the game tight for the full 80.

Every two points is important for everyone at this time of the season. The top-six is still anyone’s and the fight is real.

Everyone in the top 10 is fighting for a position and it makes it exciting for a neutral, but certainly not for a supporter of any of the clubs.

I believe the Rhinos can win all their last five games if they work on their defence and build on the attacking play of last week.

I’m excited for the next few weeks. We’ve not had the best season and it would be great to finish the season on a high and have a good foundation to build for next year. As they say, Rome wasn’t built in a day.

IAIN SHARP

Sunday saw Leeds’ return to domestic action after the Challenge Cup final weekend.

Warrington are a team that have had almost as strange a season as Leeds have had - out of the blocks flying and leading the league, then hitting the wall in spectacular fashion leading to the dismissal of coach Daryl Powell.

For various reasons, this was a game that I had to miss in person, so I had to follow it remotely and it seemed nip and tuck, with the lead changing hands several times. The joys of following the game on social media.

I was pleased by Luke Hooley’s well-taken try and as I commented on last week, in the absence of developing our own talent internally, the next best option is to bring it in and develop it, which takes time.

Huddersfield next and a crucial part of the run in to see if Leeds make the play offs.

SAM BROCKSOM

Well, it was a much needed win for Rohan Smith’s side but one that could have very easily gone the wrong way.

Our game management has to be some of the worst in the league. One minute to go, it’s

the last tackle and we put up a high bomb, which Warrington almost score off. Just kick the ball over the sideline, run the clock down and the game is won.

The performance was better than previous weeks’, but there is still a long way to go. It was good to see Harry Newman back, however that right edge needs some serious work defensively going forward.

Of course we also have to talk about Sam Walters again - another great performance by the young prop which hurts us fans more and more each week knowing he will be playing against us next year.

Looking ahead to 2024, there are reports we have signed Lachlan Miller from Newcastle Knights. He can play full-back and in the halves so it will be interesting to see who else we bring in as to where he plays.

TOM GOLDSWORTHY

If a match could ever sum up a team's season, Leeds victory over the Warrington Wolves at Headingley on Sunday would fit the bill.

After being present at the game, watching the highlights and reading various match reports, I am still not sure how we came out of that game with the two points.

You would not have been able to tell that Leeds had two weeks off since the Leigh game as Warrington outperformed us in most areas of the field.

Once again, first team players did not look up to scratch and did not pull their weight, with some of them looking like they are not fit enough to play.

Mik Oledzki looks a shadow of his former self and has done for large parts of this season. Corey Johnson in the halves does not work, he was a passenger throughout the game.

This is a game that Warrington lost, rather than one that Leeds won, as they had multiple chances to put us to the sword and finish the game off.

Throughout the game, we did see little pockets of the quality rugby that this team can produce when they feel like it, such as Aidan Sezer's kick for the second try and Nene Macdonald's unbelievable offload for the winning score.

We did not look threatening throughout the game, but managed to come up with the points which I guess is a small positive to take from the game.

However, this is not sustainable and if we are to pull off a late push for success this season, we need to start actually performing.

It was also good to see Harry Newman back from injury. While he was obviously a bit rusty from his time off, the potential was there to see and I'm excited to see what he can do with the remaining games this season.

Looking ahead to the Huddersfield game, I cannot call it one way or another. Leeds and Huddersfield have had a similar inconsistencies this season, with both showing how good and poor they can be.

If we are to push on this season and make the play-offs, every game is a must-win. There is no room for passengers, every player needs to prove their worth and start showing they are good enough to pull on the famous Blue and Amber jersey.