YEP Jury: Golden derby victory could be the start of great things for Leeds Rhinos

LUKE CROSSFIELD

Brad Dwyer take a bow! After last season it is great to see us winning by one point.

I am absolutely delighted for Dave Furner and his reaction to the events unfolding in golden point were brilliant.

That should be the confidence-building win we need to build on for the up-coming weeks.

No-one has found a way to keep our left hand edge quiet all season, more of the same from Konrad Hurrell and Ash Handley please.

Trent Merrin was superb and Cameron Smith put in a great shift.

Richie Myler had his best game in a Rhinos jersey.

We need to build on that and get the win at Hull KR. With them having quite a few of our former players they will have a point to prove so it isn’t going to be easy.

They put in a good dig last Friday at St Helens and they will have targeted this game as one they can win.

I would like to see us perform like we did for the first 60 minutes against Castleford for the full 80 minutes.

ANDREW SUTCLIFFE

So is this another false dawn or the start of something to build on?

Writing about a win is far easier but old issues were still present against Castleford.

At times we looked brilliant and another try early in the second half would have killed the game but the usual silly 15-minute period nearly cost us again.

Step up Brad Dwyer of all people to seal the win we just about deserved.

The social media criticism of Trent Merrin I’ve seen recently is so far off the mark. It’s clear what an influence he brings to the team and how important he is when on the field. Others are starting to learn how he plays and making the most of his offloads.

So to the east coast tomorrow and a renewal of old acquaintances as we play Hull KR – a team made up of many old Rhinos.

They have the ability to be brilliant or very poor week by week but always seem to raise their game when we come to town.

It’s a third win of the season for me.

KATIE BURROWS

We don’t want to get too carried away with last week’s result, but that felt good didn’t it!

Castleford did very well to come back into the game, and I can understand why a draw might have been fairer, but we dominated the first half and, had it not been for two disallowed tries, we’d have closed out the game much earlier.

In the past, I’ve singled out the players I felt had good games, but I thought everyone played their part last Thursday.

Aside from that dodgy spell where we nearly threw it away, we put in a good team performance which was really pleasing.

With fixtures against Hull KR (twice), Huddersfield and Wakefield, this is a good opportunity to build some momentum and begin to move up the table.

Tomorrow, we travel to Hull KR and obviously I’m hoping for another win; KR gave Saints a scare last week and have narrowly missed out in a few games this year.

I think it will be another close game, although hopefully not as close as last week – I don’t think my nerves can take it!

OLIVER HAWKHEAD

I’m sure neutrals will agree that last Thursday night’s match was a great game of rugby.

The first golden point game to be broadcast on Sky was certainly a great advert for the new rule changes.

The first 60 minutes was brilliant from a Rhinos perspective and we certainly looked a side that had heart and a desire to win.

Our defence was about as solid as it has been all season, although it’s far from the standard of other teams.

The team spirit was excellent throughout the whole 80 minutes which was nice to see.

The passion at the end of the game was clear and this was replicated by the fans who were brilliant all night.

The forward pack was up to the task which allowed our backs to build and score some very decent tries.

It was disappointing that we let a 16-point lead slip in the second half, however I can’t have too many complaints after that win and the manner in which we won.

Even though Brad Dwyer was born in Wigan, I certainly think he’s written himself into Leeds folk law now.

THOMAS LAWRENCE

No, no, yes! Wasn’t that a big sigh of relief?

We’ve been due a league victory over Castleford for a long time and this one was much needed.

The performance highlighted just how important the likes of Konrad Hurrell and Trent Merrin are for us and they were the key to our win.

A win though, that should have in all honesty been another close loss – Callum Turner should have converted Alex Foster’s try and Paul McShane’s bad choice of play in the dying seconds gave us a chance that we thankfully took with Brad Dwyer’s moment of brilliance.

Going forward we must now learn to close a game out – from being 20-4 in front Castleford should not have got near us, but with this win as a springboard and a few winnable games coming up, maybe we can start to climb the ladder – but like I say, this will only happen if we close our games out and hold a lead.

Let’s hope tomorrow’s trip to the city of Hull is more positive and rewarding than the last one – if we play to our ability then I am sure we will bring the points home.

TIM NUTTALL

At one stage in the final 20 minutes; it looked like the Rhinos were going to blow another commanding lead and had Paul McShane gone to Jake Trueman, there might have been more heartbreak for the lads.

Not this time; somehow, the Rhinos dragged themselves off the canvas and Brad Dwyer did the rest – my reaction when the ball left Dwyer’s boot wasn’t unlike Furner’s to be honest!

There were some stand-out performances for me. I thought Trent Merrin, Dwyer and Jack Walker were outstanding but a mention to Cameron Smith as well who ran 127 metres and made 49 tackles – he is really starting to establish himself in this team.

As good as the dramatic golden point win was; there was a concern at the way we let Cas back into the game.

We need to manage games better when we are leading.

Hopefully the manner of this win can carry into our trip to Hull KR tomorrow; that will be an interesting game with a lot of ex-Leeds connections in their team.

Back-to-back wins would be great.