Leeds Rhinos fans worry over Jake Connor, hail 'unbeatable' Lachie Miller as top-4 finish looms

Rhinos completed a second clean sheet with a 26-0 success at Huddersfield Giants last week and while it wasn’t their best performance, the YEP’s fans Jury reckons being able to win without playing well is the sign of a good team. Jake Connor’s injury is a concern to all our panel, but overall they are in a buoyant mood ahead of the final home game of the regular Betfred Super League season.

IAIN SHARP

It is said if you wait for one bus, two come along at once. The same goes for nillings this season, now achieved by Leeds in consecutive games. Perhaps the performance was too staccato to be filed as a great one, but 26-0 away from home isn’t to be sniffed at and the points difference, given how tight it is below the top, could be vital.

Normally, a result like that would trigger an exodus from the home fans, but that assumes there were some in there to start with and Leeds’ creditable travelling support on an awkward Thursday night appeared to outnumber the home support. One concern was the departure of talisman Jake Connor and hopefully it is just a knock and a precaution, rather than something more serious. However, such is Leeds at the moment, there are people - like Lachie Miller - ready to step into the breach and keep us on the front foot.

Roll on to yet another Thursday night - at home this time - and the visit of Catalan Dragons. Talking of nillings, given our performances in Perpignan in recent years, wouldn’t it be great to return the compliment next week?

BECKY OXLEY

Another week has passed with a victory and a clean sheet. While I anticipated securing two points, nothing is guaranteed, particularly at this critical stage of the season. Achieving five consecutive wins, conceding only 26 points, and scoring 174, will significantly bolster our final standing in the league. A few weeks back, I believed fifth place would be our ultimate position, but now I genuinely feel we can secure third place and gain home advantage in the play-offs.

Huddersfield certainly posed a challenge for us and although we weren’t as captivating as in previous weeks, we managed to grind out a win. Jake Connor sustained a couple of knocks and had to leave the field, which I hope was merely a precaution.

The necessity to play more intensely than anticipated contributed to a scrappy game that lacked fluidity. Our play was not as open, leading to an increase in errors. We must address this before Thursday’s match against Catalans to ensure a more enjoyable experience for our final home game of the season.

It’s hard to believe we are already approaching the season’s end. Time has flown by and I am excited about what lies ahead. Could we truly clinch the Grand Final once more? Is it within reach? Are the good times returning to Headingley? I need to temper my enthusiasm and concentrate on one match at a time. With Catalans next on the agenda, we’re hoping for another two points. Let’s make it happen.

DAVID MUHL

Thursday's match was certainly not a classic, but it’s good Leeds are finding ways to win when not playing at their best. We still managed to score 26 points and nil Huddersfield, so not disappointing in any way.

It felt a bit flat; the Leeds fans, although large in numbers, were a bit quiet. I think most in the Leeds end were expecting a very big win, but Huddersfield had other ideas and defended well.

The injury to Jake Connor is a concern. He has been our star man all year and it would be disastrous if he was missing for the end of season run-in, but noises from the club are that it’s not too serious. Fingers crossed.

James McDonnell got the Sky TV man of the match and there’s no doubt he has been Mr consistent this year, but I would have gone for Brodie Croft. He was immense and his linking up with Lachie Miller was one of the highlights of the game. Miller's chip over and pass to Brodie to score was worth the entrance money alone. Not the first chip and score by Leeds on that ground.

It was the second game in a row we have nilled the opposition and we have conceded just two tries in our last four games, showing our defence is one of the best in the league. This is one part of the game coach of the month Brad Arthur has really got on top of. There’s two games left of the regular season, a home game against Catalans and then the big one, which I am really looking forward to, against the pie eaters.

I want to finish this week paying tribute to an opposition player I always wished had signed for Leeds, Stefan Ratchford, who is retiring this year after over 440 Super League games. He was a player who always troubled us and who I think would have fitted well in a Rhinos shirt.

TOM GOLDSWORTHY

In a performance that wasn’t the prettiest, Leeds Rhinos got the job done against a dogged Huddersfield as our charge to Old Trafford continues. It was nowhere near our best performance this season, but at this stage, it doesn’t need to be.

Getting the win and keeping that momentum going is vital if we are to be successful this season and scrappy wins against teams like Huddersfield are just as important as the ones against Hull KR and Wigan. Good teams find a way to win even when they aren’t at their best and that’s what Leeds are getting better at as the season draws to a close.

Rohan Smith’s tenure at Leeds might not be remembered too well, but bringing in Lachie Miller could be the best thing he did while in charge. Arguably the best full-back in the league, he looks unbeatable on his day. His chip and chase before offloading to Brodie Croft was incredible. If I were Leeds, I’d be getting him signed up on a long-term contract; he’d be worth every penny and we look a lot better when he’s in the side.

Looking ahead to Catalans on Thursday, it should be a routine home win. They have had an unusually poor season by their standards and with Leeds on a streak of five wins in a row, we should be putting a poor Dragons side to the sword.

GAVIN MILLER

It was a relatively comfortable night in Huddersfield for all concerned with Leeds Rhinos. A decent victory, a strong score line and continued form; it’s all falling into place at the business end of the season.

I did read that Leeds have only won as many Super League games as this season twice before and both times they went on to win the Grand Final, so I am getting more and more confident of an exciting end to the season. The only thing that might stand in our way is fitness concerns over a number of key players.

We have 11 of the first team squad currently missing so are doing it the hard way, but the most costly might have come at Huddersfield on Thursday. Pray to whomever you pray to that Jake Connor’s injury isn’t serious enough to keep him out for any length of time because he’s so critical to everything we are doing at the moment.

My prayers are he’s back this week, but we can’t afford to miss him for much more than that. Although I thought Brodie Croft really stood up in Connor’s absence in the second half, I’d much prefer to have them both on the pitch.