Leeds Rhinos Jury: Same old story as indiscipline and errors make for an ‘awful’ Easter

And when the opposition’s there for the taking, you should keep your discipline and keep 13 players on the pitch.

That is the underlying sentiment running through our Leeds Rhinos jurors’ remarks following “an awful” Easter for the Loiners.

Check out what else they have to say:

KHYA GOTT

Thursday evening felt like a loss and it might as well have been.

It was one point dropped, not gained. I didn’t think I could get more disappointed than I was, but then that happened.

With eight minutes 56 seconds left, when the Giants had a scrum near their line, I thought that was it and they’d score. But to do it with two minutes left is worse. How can you be up 20-10 with two minutes to go and draw? It’s a new low. Monday afternoon was no better!

It doesn’t matter if the performance was better, or we didn’t get hammered, we lost.

Ultimately, once again, it feels down to our discipline. Last Thursday was our first game this season without any suspensions, two games and four days later, James Bentley and Zane Tetevano are now banned for two games. We play Toulouse this weekend and defeat in that game leaves us rock bottom. We have quality players who should not be this low in the table.

Nothing changed under Jamie Jones-Buchanan, let’s see if new head coach Rohan Smith can get anything out of these players.

JOSH MORROW

Going into Easter, it was always going to be a tough ask to get anything out of the games against the Giants and Tigers.

Having said that, we could and probably should have at least a win and probably two.

Starting with the Huddersfield game, when you are 10 points up with two minutes left you simply should win.

Liam Tindall has had great moments in a Leeds shirt but left Innes Senior way too much space on the outside to sneak over.

Castleford were there for the taking in the opening 20 minutes of the second half and ill-discipline cost us yet again.

James Bentley got another yellow card for letting his emotions get the better of him and he picked up two-match ban for another high tackle. That makes it 10 games missed between him and Zane Tetevano which is a bit outrageous from two experienced forwards in a team lacking up front.

Blake Austin will be missing the huge game against Toulouse due to the concussion protocols, I just hope the rumoured announcement of a new coach this week will lift the team going into such a must-win game.

IAIN SHARP

Albert Einstein suggests that insanity is defined as trying the same things over and over, but expecting different outcomes. Leeds are currently testing this hypothesis hard, by finding new ways to throw games away.

On Good Friday, shocking game management meant that the team chucked away a 10 point advantage with eight minutes to go and the worst bit was that you could see it coming, such as conceding a ludicrous unnecessary tip tackle penalty, when all it needed was to restrain the ball carrier.

At Cas on Easter Monday, the red mist descended once again and significantly contributed to blowing it, after we’d clawed ourselves level. Friday’s game now looms large, a ‘must-win’ contest against Toulouse and with the South Stand’s creativity being on the slide for years, I thought I’d take the opportunity to chip this in … (Apologies in advance to Kenny Loggins!).

Now we’ve gotta cut loose...Beat Toulouse...Kick off those match day blues...Please, JJB...Blow me off of my feet...Ash get back...Tackle them before we crack...Lose your lose!...Everybody (help) beat Toulouse.

KENDLE HARDISTY

A draw and a loss for the Rhinos over the Bank Holiday weekend. Performances are better but the table doesn’t lie and Leeds sit second bottom.

I think Zane Tetevano has been banned more times than he has played and is turning into a liability.

Huddersfield’s result was a tough one, leading with three minutes to go and then conceding 10 points is appalling.

We should have relied on Blake Austin to use some experience, but kicking the ball out on the full, causing the collapse, was really poor.

It was not the result at Cas we wanted, but a good game to watch. I thought the young lads showed up many of our senior players.

Morgan Gannon was immense with Jack Sinfield and Max Simpson was steady away.

I’d much rather see some of our academy players get thrown in, they seem to want to play for the club.

I never thought at the start of it I’d say Rhinos v Toulouse at home is our biggest game of the season.

It really is a must win, anything else and I really fear the worse for the club.

OLIVER LIMON

What a rollercoaster, at 20-10 up Leeds ‘dwarfed the Giants’ with the game almost won, but then it finished 20-all after golden point.

As I listened with my sons to Gary Hetherington, at the pre-game meal, he suggested he has only made one error in appointing coaches [Dean Lance] I didn’t really know what to expect against Huddersfield.

Despite a lack of composure to finish off Huddersfield it was great to see a fully committed and coordinated defence and an attack marshalled by Blake Austin take us almost within a whisker of victory.

At Cas, a depleted squad almost triumphed. Losing Austin to injury so early on definitely hurt Leeds. Kruise Leeming really shone in the halves and it was magic to see a Jack Sinfield try assist. Rhyse Martin was again outstanding and scored all our points. I think James Bentley’s 10 minutes in the sin-bin cost us the chance of victory.

Sinfield set the first try up with a kick and grew in confidence as the game went on.

It’s important not to build Jack up; he is not the ‘messiah’ he needs a ‘little time’.

The Easter fixtures have demonstrated JJB has got the team to compete, the new coach now must get Leeds to win.

TOM RHODES

Well, that was an awful Easter. On Thursday we were looking comfortable for about 70 minutes of the game, then gave away two tries, went straight into golden point and somehow came out with one point.

Then into the game on Monday, when we started off well but then, as usual, fell away towards the end of the game.

Both teams were there for the taking at Easter; Huddersfield were just coming off a Challenge Cup win against Hull FC and looked tired and hungover, Castleford with their poor handling errors gave us every chance to win at the Jungle.

One thing that was common was the lack of ideas on the attacking front with both games just showing how much we lack ideas. The new coach coming in is going to have some job to do.

If we don’t win Friday’s fixture against Toulouse we’ll be starting in the Championship next season. Hopefully we’ll see Jack Sinfield in the squad after playing really well in the Castleford game. He was one of the standout players from that game along with Rhyse Martin and Ash Handley. We’ll see what happens on Friday.