Leeds Rhinos fans see signs of progress, predict win v Salford Red Devils, slam RFL 'shambles'

Rhinos will travel to Salford on the back of positive performances against Wigan Warriors and Warrington Wolves and the YEP’s fans jury are in upbeat mood - though there are concerns about Brodie Croft’s injury and coach Brad Arthur’s future. Here’s their thoughts on the season so far.

GAVIN MILLER

The Challenge Cup break probably came at the wrong time for Leeds. I had seen genuine progress and was hoping that would continue. My hope now is that time spent on the training ground working on plays and processes will see us in good stead going forward from here.

Slightly worrying news - and something I feared when we appointed him on a very short contract - is Brad Arthur being linked with a return back home to Australia. There’s no doubt he has had an impact on the team, which was not difficult considering who he was replacing, but Leeds need continuity to build going forward and if they are faced with having to appoint yet another new head coach, with yet another managerial and coaching style, Leeds could be back to square one.

If a job for next season does become available in the NRL, I can see Arthur being tempted and Leeds losing him. But on a positive note, there’s genuine improvement, players are committed and working hard and, only missing some improvements in attack, Leeds are well placed to make an impression on this Super League season

DAVID MUHL

As there was no men’s action for Rhinos at the weekend, due to our early exit from the cup, I had to find other ways to get my rugby fix. Firstly, I watched the Rhinos women defeat Leigh quite comfortably, 46-4, with tries coming from seven different scorers. The thing I like about the women’s game is the lack of messing about, they just get on with it. There’s some real skill and it’s good entertainment. They really deserve a bigger crowd.

I did, of course, watch the quarter finals of the cup and think the best four teams got through. The semi-finals should be good games and I predict a Warrington versus Catalans final. I also took in another arm of the Rhinos brand, the netball. They were playing Loughborough Lightning at the First Direct Arena. I’ve only started watching netball since the Rhinos entered a team, but I love it. It’s fast and don’t let anyone tell you it’s a non-contact sport. It was a defeat for Leeds, but they put on a good performance. It’s a really good couple of hours’ entertainment. They put on a great show and really get the crowd involved.

Back to the men’s rugby and bad news came out of Headingley that Brodie Croft will be out for at least the rest of April. It’s a shame because he was starting to show some good form, but if he’s going to be missing, this is probably the best time. The Hull KR game is the only one where we will really miss him. We should be able to beat Salford and Huddersfield quite comfortably.

I feel for the Salford club, but their off-field problems must be sorted out for the credibility of the competition. If not, they should be replaced by a team from the Championship.

IAIN SHARP

Perhaps the best news so far this season has been confirmation of the much-anticipated Ashes Series between England and Australia at the end of the year. Headingley has already sold out and sales for the other games, at Everton and Wembley, seem to be going well. If England go into the final game at 1-1, the fans being on top of the Aussies in a tight stadium may just be enough to tip the balance.

Beating the Kangaroos at home might be the shot in the arm the game in this country desperately needs as rumours persist of a potential buy-out by the Australian NRL and the governing body in England appears to be in disarray, with a flurry of resignations in recent months and the return of Nigel Wood. Frankly, for me, the Australians can’t get here fast enough and I’d dump much of the ineffective old guard, who have run the game for years with all the efficiency of a church jumble sale. Another symptom of the utter shambles is the current situation at Salford, but the RFL were happy to let Cornwall go to the wall only last week.

Meanwhile, at Leeds, the jury is still out as to how the season will go. Beating Wigan, narrowly losing to Warrington and being dumped out of the cup at St Helens still suggests we might do better than we did last year. Brad Arthur seems to have made a difference - then again, given the shambles last season, that might not have been too difficult a task - and the next vital task is to try to retain his services beyond this season. I still reckon we’ll make the play-offs and what will happen then is in the lap of the Gods.

If any further proof were needed as to how poorly the game is run, Leeds face their second visit to Salford - on a Thursday night, to boot - with only six league fixtures completed and without meeting half the other teams in the league yet.

BECKY OXLEY

The pause in the regular season for the Challenge Cup has provided me with an opportunity to reflect on the campaign so far. After six matches, we've already celebrated the milestone of the 5,000th Super League game, along with individual achievements such as Ryan Hall reaching his 500th game.

It certainly makes me feel nostalgic, as I can recall witnessing the first of both of those. I was just 12 years old when Super League launched and now, after 30 seasons, I've experienced the highs, lows and everything in between.

This season has been one of the most exciting in recent years, with the majority of teams performing well. From Leigh's narrow 1-0 victory over Wigan in the opening weekend, the quality of play has been impressive, featuring closely-contested matches that fans crave.

The Rhinos have displayed numerous strengths and, overall, I am pleased with our progress. Brad Arthur clearly invested significant effort during the off-season, which is reflected in our performance.

Young Riley Lumb has demonstrated remarkable maturity after stepping up due to Maika Sivo’s injury, while Jake Connor has silenced critics with his professionalism and consistent play, contrary to the expectations of him being a hothead. With another trip to Salford coming up on Thursday I anticipate an intriguing match, especially given their rocky start to the season. Nevertheless, I remain optimistic about a Rhinos victory.

TOM GOLDSWORTHY

The start of 2025 has been a mixed bag for the Rhinos with some pretty impressive victories and some horrific performances that were straight out of the 2023 season. However, I do believe we are on the right track and showing signs of a side that can compete with the top teams.

Our defence looks almost unrecognisable from what we’ve previously seen. In multiple games we have withstood immense pressure without cracking and Brad Arthur seems to have brought some fight back into our side. What seems to be our major downfall this season is once again ourselves.

While we can look impressive and compete for 60-70 minutes of a game, we are always capable of having a poor 10 minutes which can cost us the win. The quality is obviously there, but mentally we need to find a way of staying focused when the going gets tough and finding a way to win. We have made some major improvements, but this is a results based business and we won’t be winning silverware soon if we are always on the losing side of a close game.

Looking ahead to Salford, we should be capitalising on their struggles and putting a cricket score on them. It’s not great for the sport that they are in this predicament, but we can only play what’s in front of us and it will do us good to get a win after a harsh loss against Warrington.