Wakefield Trinity 22 Leeds Rhinos 28 - coaches' reaction to Super League derby thriller
Trinity led 16-4 at the end of the first quarter, but Rhinos hit back to go ahead before the break.
Wakefield levelled early in the second half, through Tom Johnstone's second long-range try, but Leeds rookie Jack Broadbent's maiden Super League touchdwn and a Rhyse Martin penalty separated the sides at the end.
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Hide AdRhinos coach Richard Agar said: "It was round one, we have got plenty to build off and plenty to work on.
"We looked dangerous in attack and looked like we have got points in us again, but the two length of the field tries, which I think we can be pretty disappointed with, have had a fair impact on the game.
“I thought we dominated a lot of territory and possession.”
Agar was pleased with the way his side hit back in the second quarter, but admitted Rhinos “lost our defensive pressure” when Wakefield scored three quick tries before that.
“If you take that bit out, I thought generally we had a lot of control,” he added.
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Hide Ad“We didn’t finish our last plays great at times, but I am happy we came from behind and happy we closed out a close game in round one, after a fairly disjointed pre-season.”
His opposite number Chester admitted: “I am disappointed.
“For 25-30 minutes we looked in control, we got it to 16-4, but then I thought we were our own enemies.
“We needed to be better at shutting that half down, but fair play to Leeds, they caught us napping a few times, especially on that right-edge.
“There’s plenty to work on defensively, but I thought we threw the ball around okay and scored some good tries.
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Hide Ad“We just needed a bit more grit in the tough part of the game.”
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