Leeds Rhinos fans on learning from Aston Villa FC, why you should watch netball and pessimism for St Helens

With no game last weekend, the YEP Jury are still smarting from the 26-0 drubbing at Catalans Dragons last time out. One of them reckons Rhinos could learn a lesson from Aston Villa FC, while others were delighted to see Leeds’ women book Wembley return but fear the visit to TW Stadium could be a painful experience.

GAVIN MILLER

My other love, outside of rugby league, is football and specifically Aston Villa FC. Since the age of five I’ve watched Villa win the odd League Cup, they’ve been runners up in the old First Division once, there’s been relegations, Wembley defeats and Wembley victories, but they have always plodded along not living up to their potential. A sleeping giant that occasionally wakes up before napping again.

Three seasons ago, Aston Villa sacked Dean Smith, the coach who got them promoted and took them to 12th in the Premier League, after a run of poor results. They appointed Steven Gerrard as head coach and expectations were high, but Villa found themselves 17th and outside the relegation zone only on goal difference and again they sacked the man at the top.

Welcome Unai Emery to Villa Park. Just over half a season later, Villa finished seventh and qualified for the Europa Conference League, with the exact same players Gerrard had coached to 17th. Fast forward 12 months and Aston Villa have just finished fourth in the Premiership and qualified for the Champions League, with only three or four signings and the same nucleus of players from the previous season.

My point is, a head coach, a manager, the man at the top is the most important cog in a sports team’s wheel and if you look hard enough, there is someone out there who can do a better job than the man currently doing it.

BECKY OXLEY

Last week was all about the women. It was Challenge Cup semi-finals weekend and the Rhinos had the task of playing Wigan to get through to Wembley to face Saints who beat York Valkyrie.

What a cracking game on a beautiful sunny afternoon. Ruby Enright opened the scoring little over a minute into the game, starting off a brilliant battle and I think the best women’s game I’ve seen so far this year.

There was some fantastic attacking and defence and an amazing Rhinos win. It means another trip to Wembley and another final for the women to enjoy. I can’t wait for that one.

On Friday we take on Saints in their own backyard. Many will be thinking they will run all over us and it will be a whitewash of a score. I think the week off will have given us time for a rest and refocus and I really hope it kickstarts us.

The drier weather is here which hopefully will allow us some better flowing rugby and faster play. With little over a third of the season gone we still have time to get into the top six and show what we are capable of

Massive congratulations to my friend Declan Jenkinson who plays for the Rhinos LDSL team in completing the Rob Burrow marathon the other weekend. I’m so proud of you.

IAIN SHARP

At the time of writing, we have now discovered that the two teams contesting the men’s Challenge Cup final in a couple of weeks’ time will be Wigan and Warrington.

After watching bits of the latter’s destruction of Huddersfield, I suspect that Ben Thaler, the duty video referee, will be putting a word in with the BBC in for an end-of-season appearance on Strictly Come Dancing with his “slow…slow…quick…quick … slow” routine for judging tries.

The weekend for Leeds fans has perhaps been one of reflection, given the performances over the last few weeks. There has been the understandable clamour for the removal of coach Rohan Smith. There is a hideous injury crisis with the backs and that has prompted Matty Russell coming in on loan from Warrington.

Given that injuries - and the shuffling around of players - is inevitable in rugby league, I wonder how this might be factored in to the training that players do, so that generally

everyone plays in the same way, knows the planned moves and so on and can slot in and out to lessen the impact.

I remain concerned about our current state and the progress of the team. Willie Peters arrived at Hull KR and started to turn them around, Sam Burgess seems to have got Warrington firing after less than half a season and the yardstick against which all

Leeds coaches should be judged in the last 30 years, Graham Murray, didn’t take two years to sort Leeds out into one of the most feared teams in the competition. In my opinion, he was the greatest exponent of what made a ‘great’ coach. He made average players into good players, good players into great players and great players into world class players.

Furthermore, he reproduced the same brilliance at numerous clubs, winning a Grand Final with Sydney Roosters after leaving Leeds. I’d love to know what he’d have done with our current squad. Even now, 11 years after his untimely passing, he is still much missed.

St Helens away on Friday, will it be more of the same or will the break have allowed Leeds to lick their wounds and regroup?

DAVID MUHL

With Leeds’ men’s team having no game, it was good the ladies were in action to give us our rugby fix. Watching the first half of their semi-final against Wigan I had to check a couple of times I wasn’t watching the men’s team: unforced errors, silly penalties and we even had a few short kick-offs thrown in.

They obviously got a good talking to at half-time from coach Lois Forsell and after that they cut out the errors and went on to book a return trip to Wembley. Hopefully it’ll be a better result this time. I’ve watched the women’s team, netball, wheelchair and reserves this year, as well as the men’s team and it’s great our club is promoting different sports.

If you’ve never watched a netball game, I would highly recommend it. It’s supposed to be a non-contact sport, but I’m not so sure about that; they seem to love knocking each other about and it’s extremely fast and entertaining.

We have some important fixtures coming up in the men’s competition, but it seems we are starting to get some bodies back. I think it’s a good move signing Matty Russell on loan; hopefully that will mean Rhyse Martin can move back into the pack. We seem a much better balanced team when Rhyse plays in the second-row.

I would expect and hope that out of the next five games we can get at least eight points, which should move us up the table, settle the nerves and remove a lot of pressure from Rohan Smith. I have my concerns as to whether Rohan is the right man for Leeds, but some of the vitriol heading his way is quite honestly out of order. I don’t think changing coaches mid-season is ever a good idea and hopefully, with a bit of confidence running through the team, he will change things around.

TOM GOLDSWORTHY

It would be easy for a Rhinos fan to forget any rugby league was on last weekend as it has been so long since we reached the latter stages of the men’s Challenge Cup. For a club the size of Leeds and how few games it takes to get to Wembley, not reaching the semi-finals of the competition since 2020 really does highlight how far we have fallen as a team.

During the past week we announced the loan signing of Matty Russell from Warrington, a move that has split the fanbase. As much as I believe we should promote our youth players, we should not do so for the sake of it. Starting a youngster against a team like St Helens would be a disaster waiting to happen.

While it is not the most exciting signing, he does provide some much needed experience and cover. I see it as a win-win situation for Leeds; the worst that can happen is he's rubbish and we send him back to the Wolves, however I cannot see him being worse than the current bunch.

Looking ahead to the Saints game, we should hopefully have some key personnel back in Brodie Croft and Harry Newman. I believe both would have played the last game if it was not in the south of France and should be ready to get stuck in.

Despite being the mastermind behind Matt Frawley's new song, I do think he should be dropped and we should continue with the partnership of Croft and Jack Sinfield. Jack showed brief glimpses of quality against Catalans Dragons and hopefully will flourish with quality players around him.

I am not expecting much out of Friday night's game. I feel ashamed as a Leeds fan saying this, but I just hope the team shows up and gives the fans something to be hopeful about. I know they do not go out looking to lose, but it would be nice to see the boys show some fight and prove they are fit enough to wear the famous blue and amber shirt.