Leeds Rhinos fans pleased with Super League start, frustrated by officials, warn of tough task at Hull KR

DAVID MUHL

Friday under the lights at Headingley and a big crowd was always going to make for a good night. Add a Leeds win and what more could you want? The bookies had Salford with a 14-point start, but a team coached by Paul Rowley was never going to be that easy to beat. There were good signs at times from the Rhinos and the score could have been more favourable if it had not been for some dubious referee calls. I always thought a knock-on was given if a player dropped the ball towards the opposition line, but Aaron Moore obviously reads a different set of the laws to me. I also thought that if a Salford player kicked the ball into touch, then Leeds should get the scrum; again Mr Moore decided otherwise.

Salford were becoming masters at slowing the game down, allowed by the referee and if we are going to have this much use of the video referee and stoppages to allow players to tie their laces, I am going to start bringing my sleeping bag to Headingley. My man of the match was Rhyse Martin; he kicked superbly, had a hand in two tries and his defence was brilliant.

There were good performances from Sam Lisone, who is quickly becoming a South Stand favourite and Cam Smith and two tries for birthday boy Ash Handley won him the sponsors MOM. I doubt we will see a better try this year than his length of the field effort. Salford’s Nene Macdonald got the expected welcome from the South Standers and the biggest cheer of the night was when he dropped the ball from the kick off, but he showed what a good player he is and caused us problems all night.

BECKY OXLEY

The season kicked off with a bang on Friday night and after a tussle of a match and a close contest we came away with the two points. Taking up my place in the East Stand an hour before kick off the nerves were jangling and the build-up certainly didn’t disappoint.

Salford beat us at home last season so it wasn’t going to be a walk over and with six players making their debut for the Rhinos it was an interesting and exciting prospect. Tensions were high throughout the match with a few cards and skirmishes and I think this was the desire from both sides to show their passion and will to win.

Ash Handley was man of the match for me. The birthday boy scored a near-length of the field try which will be a contender, I’m sure, for try of the season. It was always going to be scrappy as everyone comes together and gets used to everything, but two points from the opening game of the season - our first round one win since 2021 - is important.

Hull KR this week in their back yard isn’t going to be easy after their performance against Hull, but I’m sure we will learn from Friday and show more of what we can do and hopefully come away with the two points.

IAIN SHARP

A glance in the history books in years to come will show a Leeds victory and two

competition points in the first game of the season, last Friday night. There were flashes of what could be, Ash Handley ending a 90-yard move in an early contender for try of the season. I’m calling it his Bananarama try, a clear case of ‘Ne .. Ne .. Hey .. Hey ...Goodbye’ as he backed himself and steamed past Nene McDonald to score.

There were new rules to cope with too. Paul Momirovski’s sin-binning after more deliberation than your average jury trial needs sorting out, as match officials clutched at straws to find a reason to bin him. Marc Sneyd’s goal kick time wasting emulation of Colin Tyrer also needed clamping down on. Leeds have an interesting challenge at Hull KR on Thursday evening and an early defining test on how the season might pan out.

GAVIN MILLER

I’m really not sure what to make of last Friday night’s game. I think it’s just that I was expecting a little bit more. With a new one, six, seven and nine in the team, I was expecting a very different performance to those seen last season, but it all felt a bit 2023.

Lachie Miller replacing Richie Myler, Brodie Croft and Matt Frawley replacing Aidan Sezer and Blake Austin and a proper hooker in Andy Ackers suggested a new approach, a dynamic spine, more expensive exciting rugby league. But no, what I think I have learnt from Friday is that without a dominant pack I can’t see the progression happening very quickly. If Leeds’ starting prop is James Donaldson and Mikolaj Oledzki’s HIA replacement is James Bentley we are clearly short of experienced, big, aggressive, mobile prop forwards.

Sam Lisone was great and is a real impact prop, but we need one or two more like him. The backs may well click and may well prove their value and worth, but can the forwards lay a platform for them? Hull KR on Thursday will be a test and I hope the coach gets it right and gets it right soon or else the early optimism may diminish pretty quickly

TOM GOLDSWORTHY

In what turned out to be a tense affair, Leeds battled to victory against Salford, which was our first opening day win since 2021. Whilst it was not the dominant victory many had predicted, the Rhinos showed a lot of determination to keep coming back from behind to eventually secure the two points.

It was not the prettiest performance from Leeds, but I believe you could see the signs of a quality team. Brodie Croft and Matt Frawley did not set the world alight in their debuts, but you could tell from the off that they are an upgrade on the previous pairing, which admittedly is not a high bar to beat. For a first outing, the team did well to overcome a resilient Salford team and I can guarantee that this team is going to be an exciting one to watch once all the debutants have settled in.

The first player I want to mention for having a standout game is Ash Handley who continued his strong form for the Rhinos. His first try was simply incredible, racing across the field whilst beating multiple players for pace was worth the admission fee alone. The poetic justice of the last man he beat being Nene Macdonald was just the icing on the cake.

The second is Mik Oledzki. It might not have been a performance that grabbed the headlines, but it felt like we are beginning to see the best of him after a difficult 2023 season. Thankfully he returned to the field after an early HIA scare and put in a solid shift, with 115 metres made and 18 tackles. A decent performance from our number eight and it is vital that he continues to build on this.

Looking ahead to our away game at Hull KR, it is important to get the win no matter what and get the confidence flowing throughout the team. KR have been tipped to be one of the teams to beat this season and will provide another tough test for Leeds. Croft vs Mikey Lewis will be a crucial battle and whoever comes out on top will end up winning the game for their team.