Leeds Rhinos, a team that has a proud Rugby League history, has not experienced many joys in recent years. Since their Grand Final victory in 2017, with Rhinos legend Danny Maguire pulling the strings at half-back in a Man of the Match performance, they have missed out on winning their ninth Super League title.
With their rivals from Merseyside St Helens becoming Super League champions in the previous three seasons, they have now drawn level with the Yorkshire outfit on eight titles.
Leeds have added experienced Super League players to the side for the 2022 season, with the likes of Aidan Sezer, Blake Austin and James Bentley, who were an integral part in the Saints winning the three-peat. Could this be the year that Leeds get back to the heights that their club and fan base deserve?
Since the successful era that saw the Rhinos win the treble in 2015, there are only a handful of players that still remain in the squad. One of which is Tom Briscoe who is set to have his testimonial match this weekend against his former club Hull FC.
Many argue that the likes of Kevin Sinfield, Rob Burrow, Danny Maguire and Jamie Peacock are irreplaceable to any side and they would be right. The skill and leadership they brought to the side both on and off the field are very hard to replace, and as much as they have tried with players coming and going, they have not been able to maintain the same half-back pairing to build a team around.
The side has had success in the Challenge Cup back in 2020 but it is the Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford where they want to be.
Looking back on the team that started the 2021 campaign, Robert Lui, Luke Gayle and even Kyle Eastmond, who had a short return to Rugby League, have all left the club. With the club opting to go for a completely new half-back partnership in Sezer and Austin, who have experience playing together in the National Rugby League for the Canberra Raiders, they will be hoping the pair can reignite that partnership in England.
With the addition of the ‘tackling machine’ that is James Bentley and an exciting signing in David Fusitu’a from the New Zealand Warriors, there is plenty for the fans to get excited about ahead of the new season.
Headingley is arguably the best stadium in the Super League and the big attendances they get at every home game shows how much it means to the locals.
Speaking on The Rugby League Review Podcast, former Leeds Rhinos forward Barrie McDermott expressed his optimism for the side this season.
“The front runners are Saints [St Helens], Catalans [Dragons] are in for a good year and I believe Leeds [Rhinos] will be in the top three as well. They might upset a few teams because those half-backs look really exciting, mouthwatering if you are a Rhinos fan”.
“I said all year last season that I thought the pack of forwards they have are as good as we had had for a good five years since the big players retired in 2015. The combination of the forwards and backs makes it look really good for the Rhinos.”
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