The tide’s turning for Leeds Rhinos insists Gary Hetherington

Rhinos are 10th in the 12-team table, with four wins, a draw and eight defeats so far.

They were knocked out of the Betfred Challenge Cup in their opening tie and are on their third coach this year, but Hetherington believes the tide is turning.

“We have got some senior players back and the team that played against Wakefield [in Rhinos’ most recent game] looks a lot stronger than the one against Hull KR or Toulouse,” he said.

“Our two big misses are Harry Newman and Aidan Sezer and I do believe when we get those two back – and hopefully firing – we will be a match for anybody.

“The reality is we are currently in 10th place, which is disappointing, but we are five points ahead of the 12th-placed team and three adrift of sixth. It is all to play for.”

Hetherington expects other teams to “suffer a similar injury fate to us in the second half of the season”. He pledged: “There’s a lot of rugby still to be played, we have got 14 matches to play and I am sure we will have a much healthier squad for that period, plus a new head coach who is bringing his own ideas and will certainly make a difference.”

Rhinos have improved over the past two months, winning three of their last four matches, but Hetherington accepted: “We are where we are, we have had an horrendous first half of the season, being crippled with injuries and our form hasn’t been good enough.”

He said: “I don’t think anyone would have predicted we would lose five of our first six games. The team finished strong last season, we were in the semi-finals of the play-offs and we added to the squad with Blake Austin, James Bentley, Aidan Sezer and David Fusitu’a joining the group.

“On paper we have a very strong squad and nobody could have complained about the performance in the first game, but to lose four of the next five was very disappointing.

“There were some tough games, but we didn’t play well and it wasn’t only the results that were disappointing, it was the performances as well.

“The major reason for that was all our top-end, most expensive players were either not playing through injury or suspension.

Richie Myler got injured in the first game, Newman was already out, Fusitu’a got knocked out in the first game and Bentley was sent-off and suspended for the next four.

“They are four of our top-end players and on top of that, Sezer, Blake Austin and Zane Tetevano – all top end players as well – were, by their own admission, finding it difficult.

“Our top seven or eight players, we got little from them in that period and subsequently suffered some defeats. As a result, Richard Agar did the honourable thing and stepped away from his coaching role.

“He felt it was time for someone else to come in. We could never have envisioned that at the outset, but that’s what we got.

“We were decimated with injuries and continued to be – there were a couple of matches when 10 or 11 of our top one-17 weren’t playing. We were going into those games, in terms of salary cap value, with about a £1m team and at least £1m sat in the stand.”

Jamie Jones-Buchanan took over from Agar as interim-coach for six games before Rohan Smith moved into the hot seat. Hetherington reflected: “All the staff and players really knuckled down.

“We were working in adversity with so many key players missing, but they gave some battling displays and we jagged two invaluable wins against Toulouse and Hull KR.

“Rohan has come in and taken over a difficult situation and I think he will do an outstanding job.”

Of the positives from this season so far, the chief said: “There’s always a silver lining and we’ve seen the opportunity presented to people who have played more first team rugby than they might have envisaged at the outset, people like Jack Sinfield, Max Simpson and Liam Tindall.

“They have all come into the first team and played extremely well, so there have been some positives. They have come in and shown themselves to be Super League players.”