Leeds Rhinos talking points: top-6 hopes over, young guns deserve a shot and RFL win on video refs

A top-six finish now seems out of reach and, while there were some mitigating factors in their most recent loss, it has been a hugely frustrating and disappointing campaign. Here’s five talking points.

1: Stranger things have happened than Rhinos making up a four-point deficit over the last four rounds and qualifying for the play-offs. But not many.

Realistically, the loss at Huddersfield - at the end of a weekend when the three teams immediately above them all won - ended Rhinos’ top six hopes.

Rhinos’ remaining fixtures are at Hull FC and league leaders Catalans Dragons and home to second-placed Wigan Warriors and Castleford Tigers, who might need a victory to avoid relegation, so it’s not an easy run-in and they have to win all of them and hope other results go their way.

Pride - and not finishing third from bottom - are what Leeds have to play for now. The target must be to win as many as they can and finish the campaign on a high, giving them something to build on in 2024.

At the same time, though, it is a good opportunity to give some fringe players a chance. Jack Sinfield, Leon Ruan and Alfie Edgell are the future of the club, there are injuries in all of their positions and there’s not much to lose by seeing what they can do.

2: Rhinos are eighth on the table, but - remarkably - have the best points difference outside the top-four.

That tells the story of a season when they’ve been there or thereabouts almost every game, but not quite good enough when it really matters.

The performance at Huddersfield was far from Leeds’ worst of the season, but having gone 16-0 behind in the opening quarter, they left themselves too much to do.

The luck they had a week earlier against Warrington Wolves didn’t stick around long as they lost James Bentley to a head/neck injury after just 15 minutes and most of the crucial moments went against them. That has been the case for most of this year, but Rhinos can’t blame misfortune for missing out on the play-offs.

They have been found wanting too often at important times in games - and the campaign in general - and some ridiculous defeats, most notably to Castleford twice and Wakefield Trinity, torpedoed their hopes. Leeds have been competitive, but that’s not enough for a club of their stature.

3: There have been some positives. Full-back Luke Hooley endured a tough Super League debut when Rhinos were kicked to pieces at Hull KR in monsoon conditions five months ago, returned to his former club Batley Bulldogs on dual-registeration, to get some consistent game time and has been good in his run of three matches since Richie Myler suffered a long-term foot injury.

It remains to be seen what part Hooley will play next year, when Aussie full-back Lachie Miller joins the squad, but he has shown he certainly has a Super League future.

Credit too to Luis Roberts, who - having joined Leeds from Leigh in pre-season - wouldn’t have expected to make eight first team appearances this year.

He is on a steep learning curve, but has also shown some good signs in difficult circumstances and had a solid game at centre against Giants.

There are good young prospects at Rhinos and they haven’t been the problem this year. Some senior players have let them down.

4: Rhinos’ recruitment - in the most recent pre-season and for a few years before that - has come in for justifiable criticism.

Rhyse Martin, in 2019, was probably the last entirely successful addition, but - as mentioned above - some of the younger recruits ahead of the current campaign have shown signs of promise, Nene Macdonald has had a good debut season and Sam Lisone is starting to justify the faith Rohan Smith put in him.

It has taken him a while, but the big front-rower is getting to grips with Super League now and made an eye-catching contribution off the bench against Huddersfield. He will be better next year, with a season in English conditions under his belt.

David Fusitu’a’s latest injury was another setback. Fusitu’a, who missed last Sunday’s game with a back problem, has been good whenever he has played, but had spent too much time on the casualty list to really make his presence felt.

5: As revealed here last week, Super League’s new television deal will see every match broadcast, with a video referee on duty.

Giants would probably still have won, but the scoreline may have been different had last Sunday's game been televised. Referee Marcus Griffiths had to make an instant decision on a number of calls which he would almost certainly have asked for help with, given the chance.

Having two sets of laws for one competition is bizarre and while the new TV deal may be a reduction financially, coverage of all games will level the playing field and is a win for the RFL.