Leeds Rhinos fans say same thing after Brodie Croft hat-trick sets up huge derby at Castleford Tigers

Stand-off Brodie Croft’s hat-trick was the highlight of last weekend’s 28-6 victory at Catalans Dragons - a ground where Rhinos hadn’t scored in their three previous visits - and the YEP fans jury reckon he will be missed when he leaves to join Warrington Wolves next season. With Rhinos four points ahead of second-placed Wigan our panel are also beginning to dream of a league leaders’ shield and Grand Final appearance in three months’ time. Here’s what they made of the Catalans game and their thoughts on Sunday’s all-West Yorkshire showdown.

DAVID MUHL

A trip to Catalans is never easy, as the last three years showed when we didn’t cross their try line once, but that was put to bed on Saturday with Leeds putting together a very professional performance to defeat them and almost keep them to nil. It shows how high our standards have been that some supporters were slightly disappointed with our performance, but I think, in unbelievable heat and humidity, Leeds played some excellent rugby.

I’m struggling to move around the house in this heat so it’s testament to our superb athletes that they can perform at such high levels. Much of the talk pre-game was whether Maika Sivo could get another try to equal the Super League record; he didn’t, but had a fine game, making good yards out of defence.

My man of the match was Brodie Croft, who in any other year would be the top try scorer and being praised from the hills. His hat-trick was well taken and showed yet again what we will be missing next year. The M62 has a lot to answer for.

We missed Keenan Palasia, but the pack overall played well and Tom Holroyd ran hard and continued his good form. It was good to see Riley Lumb given an opportunity and he didn’t let anyone down.

It shows how far we’ve come that we didn’t rise to Catalans’ attempts to wind us up, although Jarrod O’Connor did come close to losing it a couple of times. Top of the table and looking good for the league leaders shield, Old Trafford here we come.

BECKY OXLEY

Last Saturday’s match promised to be intriguing. In our previous three encounters at Catalans we were unable to score a single point. However, our recent performances positioned us well to change that and just eight minutes into the game, we broke the streak.

One player who I believe deserves recognition, yet often goes unnoticed, is James McDonnell. He is dependable, contributing significantly in attack while also providing strong defence. He demonstrated this against Catalans with an impressive work ethic.

Overall, the match was somewhat disjointed at times and escalated on a few occasions, but we did enough to maintain our now seven-match winning streak. Our skill set allowed us to score some outstanding tries, with Brodie Croft’s hat-trick highlighting why we will miss him next season.

It was also Kallum Watkins’ 300th game for Leeds, which made me reflect on the unique nature of this club. The dedication shown by players over the years, through both triumphs and challenges, illustrates what the club offers to players, coaches, backroom staff, and supporters alike. I take great pride in being a Rhino and I am sure many others share this sentiment.

Next, we face Cas on their home turf. Based on our current form it should be an easy two points, but it’s never that straightforward, so it promises to be an exciting match.

KATIE MARCZYNSKI

At the weekend it was the turn of our other half-back to shine. Brodie Croft showed us what we’ll miss next year with a hat trick of tries in the south of France. It’s never an easy place to come away from with a win so it was great to extend our winning run to seven games and remain four points clear at the top of Super League.

We’ve now won 12 of our last 13 and have only lost three times this year. Wigan I can accept, but the Leigh and Hull losses will continue to bug me until the end of the season. It’s a pretty impressive run and I can’t see us slipping up in the immediate future.

While we were far from our best on Saturday, if we can continue to rack up the wins then I'm confident of our chances come the end of the season. Next up is Castleford away on Sunday, who’ll surely want to end our winning run. Cas have been disappointing this season - at Magic Weekend they gave up very easily, so I can't see anything other than an emphatic Rhinos victory this weekend. Let’s hope I'm right.

TOM GOLDSWORTHY

Leeds Rhinos finally ended their scoreless run in the south of France as they dominated the Catalans Dragons and increased their unbeaten run to seven games. It was a very one-sided affair with the Dragons not offering any quality at all.

It was a very professional performance from the Rhinos. All the players worked hard in incredibly hot conditions and kept their composure even when things did not go their way. It was obvious Catalans came out in the second half with the intention of trying to rattle us, but it was pleasing to see we did not let this affect our performance on the whole.

What I love about this Leeds team is that there are a number of players who can step up and be the star of the show. It was Brodie Croft’s turn this time as he scored a hat-trick and kept his good form this year going. All three of his tries were outstanding efforts, but his first one to run from deep in his own half and side step the Catalans defence was the pick of the bunch for me. It’s just a shame it has taken to the last year at the Rhinos for us to see the best of Brodie.

Looking ahead to our game at Castleford on Sunday, I cannot see anything other than a Rhinos win. We have reached a high level of consistency and composure under Brad Arthur, that we haven't seen at Leeds for years and there aren’t many teams in Super League that worry me anymore. With the form we are in, Leeds should be making it eight successive wins and keeping that momentum going as we reach the business end of the season.

IAIN SHARP

Bonnie Tyler, the Welsh pop singer who sadly passed away recently, had an early hit record with Lost In France. It was a track we didn’t need to be reminded of as it took the Leeds side of the present day a mere nine minutes to register something the last three visits to Perpignan failed to muster.

Leeds were dominant in the south of France for the second time in little over a month and the team is running hotter than the current heatwave. The highlight was Brodie Croft ghosting through not once, but on three occasions.

Maybe Leeds can be excused the Catalans try right at the death, but perhaps the biggest shock of the night was that Leeds scored five tries without Maika Sivo getting any of them. That scuppered - for the time being - his tilt at the Super League consecutive scoring record.

There is still a long way to go and I am not going to tempt fate in the same way I did at the end of last season when I queued for tickets to the play off clash with Hull KR only for it to be snatched away by St Helens in the dying seconds. However, if I was a Leeds restauranteur I’d be already looking at some form of discount or promotional night on the first weekend of October.