YEP Jury: Defeat at Salford Red Devils has burst Leeds Rhinos’ bubble

The new boss bounce fans had been hoping for fell flat as Leeds were outplayed at AJ Bell Stadium, piling more pressure on to Friday’s home game against Wakefield Trinity.

Here’s what our panel made of Sunday’s defeat and their thoughts on the impending derby.

TOM RHODES

Well, that was a bit depressing.

I was hoping we’d come away with a win against Salford but we seem to have gone three steps back since our great victory over Hull KR.

Defence needs working on for a start, too many gaping gaps allowed Salford’s loose forward and centres to just stroll right through.

It’s of course going to take some time for Rohan to get them in shape, he has one hell of a task. Plus, with certain bodies back after being out for a while, it is going to take time for them to get used to the system again.

Our fixture against Wakefield is a must win, just to stay away from that 12th spot since Toulouse’s magnificent win on Sunday, especially in front of a packed crowd on Friday night for Rohan’s first home game.

Hopefully we’ll see Jack Sinfield back in the halves, as Kruise Leeming needs to be back as hooker.

He plays far better in that position than as number seven.

Also, hopefully we’ll see more of Sam Walters as he looked an absolute beast when he came onto the pitch on Sunday.

IAIN SHARP

Last Sunday’s defeat proves, if any were needed for Rohan Smith, what a mire Leeds find themselves in at the moment and the enormity of the job he faces, as the team returned to their old ways again against Salford.

Headingley has been the club’s home for over 130 years and it is these days, a tight suburban stadium with housing close by.

As part of the movement when the club was in trouble in the mid-90s, to keep Rugby League in LS6, that’s just the way I want it to stay.

Sadly, rugby league fans have been treated a distant second when compared to football supporters in the city, with no special public transport provision for many years and meaning the streets around the stadium are often clogged with traffic on match days.

Getting to/from the match will be that bit harder this week due to the ‘infinite wisdom’ of Northern Rail, who have knocked off both the 19.29 Leeds-Burley Park and a return train around 22.14 from Burley Park, both of which were heavily used by fans getting to/from the game and with little logic or explanation as to why.

Perhaps Northern Rail’s timetable compiler also moonlights doing the fixtures for the RFL, as Friday night’s game against Wakefield will be the last at home for NINE WEEKS, until the visit of Wigan on

July 21. It’s little wonder the game struggles.

OLIVER LIMON

I am sure there was a refreshing level of optimism when Loiners fans saw Sunday’s teamsheet.

Many were happy to see a number of returning faces in the squad, Richie Myler, David Fusitu’a and ‘repeat offenders’ James Bentley and Zane Tetevano, as well as Zak Hardaker on his return. Rohan Smith also had a bit of time to work on his squad and Leeds have a particularly good record against Salford.

Although we can’t take anything for granted this season, it was crushing to see old habits die hard with us once again falling off on defence, producing a blunted attack, kicking poorly and letting ourselves down with errors.

Salford struck a blow with two early tries, Leeds never really recovered and a revitalised Kallum Watkins looked in scintillating form. However, we should be doing better against fellow strugglers in the table and for them to record a rare double over Leeds is not easy to swallow.

On this performance Wakefiled will have little to fear on their visit to Headingley. This display will have opened Smith’s eyes as to the monumental task ahead to even get close to challenging for major honours again.

JOSH MORROW

After two wins on the bounce it looked as though things were on the up, but that bubble has well and truly burst after Sunday’s defeat at the AJ Bell Stadium.

I think all of us were under no illusions that the trip to Salford would be a tough one, but a defeat in that manner, especially with all the buzz and excitement of a new coach and a new era at Rhinos, took a huge hit.

I’m hoping that the troubles on Sunday were just due to players who have been out a long time not gelling yet and still getting used to the game plan that Rohan Smith is trying to instil on the players.

With Toulouse picking up a win against Wakefield Trinity at the weekend it makes this Friday night’s derby game even bigger.

Toulouse will stick around all year and pick up a win here and there, so both teams will be desperate to take the two points.

Arguably our best 40 minutes of rugby was in the first half of the reverse fixture earlier this year. Leeds will have to match that for the full 80 minutes this time to win the game.

KENDLE HARDISTY

If Rohan Smith didn’t realise the magnitude of the job he has taken on, the Salford result and performance may have just reiterated that point.

Another moment in the season where optimism was high and off the back of two wins, you really expected us to have a go, but it was quite the opposite.

The Rhinos had multiple senior players back and once again they were a let down compared to the young guns in the past few weeks.

Defensively, we didn’t look any more solid, which is concerning with the team we had back.

Going into Friday’s game against Wakefield, you feel it is another moment where we must win. Toulouse getting a result at the weekend was massive for them and puts them firmly back in the race for survival.

Wakefield are on a rotten run at the moment, but there is no reason why they won’t be seeing Leeds as an opportunity to get their season up and running again.

The Rhinos battered Wakefield in the reverse fixture, the same is a must.

KHYA GOTT

After losing, again, to Salford over the weekend, we moved back down the Super League table, to third from bottom.

It’s disappointing to have lost like that after back-to-back wins, and even more of a let down that it was Rohan Smith’s first game in charge and we still lost.

We can’t afford players to have an off-day when we are this low in the table, it is becoming more of an off-season, off-form occurrence at this stage rather than an off-day.

But, trying to be positive, Richie Myler is back and Zak Hardaker is a Rhino once again. Smith has a lot of work to do and he needs to make changes quickly, before it is too late.

This Friday will mark our final home game at Headingley for two months, let’s make it count for something and back the team in what will be Smith’s first home game in charge.

Six games in a row, away from home, won’t be easy for the team.

But we need to start picking up more points and we need to do it fast.