Leeds Rhinos on verge of 'most exciting' era

That is the prediction from Rhinos’ chief executive Gary Hetherington who is optimistic about the club’s playing prospects after a series of disappointing seasons.

The team which won eight Super League titles, three world club championships, a hat-trick of league leaders’ shields and the Challenge Cup twice between 2004 and 2017 has now broken up. Rhinos fought relegation battles in three of the past four seasons, but were third in Betfred Super League - on a four-game winning run - when rugby league was suspended due to coronavirus.

Their last game before the shutdown was a 66-12 thrashing of Toronto Wolfpack which took their points tally to 176 in four matches, with only 30 conceded, following an opening round loss to Hull.

“We’ve had a disappointing last two years, but I do believe this squad could be our most exciting and entertaining team to be produced in the last several decades,” Hetherington said.

“It is unlikely to be the most successful, because how do you become more successful than the teams we’ve had in the recent past, particularly the one that won the treble in 2015?

“But I do believe it has got so much promise and potential and in terms of providing quality and entertaining rugby league, this could be our best team ever.”

Hetherington took over Leeds, along with chairman Paul Caddick, at the end of the first Super League season and will have been at the club 25 years this autumn.

“The club was in a perilous position at that time, both on and off the field,” he recalled. “That has been rectified over time and when we look back now we probably underplay the scale of that challenge, because it was a significant one.”

Leeds were not the only team teetering on the brink when Super League began.

“The game financially was in a mess back in the mid-1990s and it needed something big, like Super League and the Sky TV deal, to transform the game,” Hetherington added. “It did, it gave the game an opportunity and it has progressed from that.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. These are challenging times but the team at the Yorkshire Evening Post need your support more than ever in the weeks ahead.

While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you. In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you - wherever possible and providing it is safe for you to do so - to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Inevitably falling advertising revenues will start to have an impact on local newspapers and the way we continue to work during this period of uncertainty. So the support of our readers has never been more important as we try to make sure that we keep you connected with the city you live in during this time. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. We need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

Our team of trusted reporters are working incredibly hard behind the scenes- from kitchen tables and spare bedrooms - to look at how we can do this and your continued support to the YEP will help to protect its viability in the days and weeks ahead.

For more details on our subscription offers please visit www.localsubsplus.co.uk/YEP, email [email protected] or call us on 0330 4033004

Thank you

Laura Collins

Editor

READ MORE: https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/opinion/were-therewithyou-now-your-yep-needs-your-support-too-laura-collins-yep-editor-2521777