'A good side': old boy Ryan Sheridan assesses Leeds Rhinos, admits Catalans Dragons taught 'harsh lesson'

Catalans’ interim-coach spent six years as a player with Leeds and was a major figure in their triumphant 1999 Challenge Cup campaign. Rhinos made it a painful return to his old stamping ground for Sheridan as they ran in eight tries in a 46-4 victory, taking their points scored in the past two games to 102.

Assessing Rhinos, Sheridan said: “They have built over the last year; if they keep doing what they are doing, they are tough. How they use their middles and Jake Connor when he is on and Lachie Miller, I just think they are a good side.

“They’ve got Ash Handley in there as well and two big wingers, they have got a lot of strike. I think they’ve got a good balance and a good mix. They are in a good position. If you look at what’s happening around the league at the minute, they have maintained some momentum and confidence.

“Especially how they are defending, I think they have stepped up there. They are a good side at the minute.”

Catalans were under pressure from the moment they dropped the opening kick-off and Sheridan admitted his team were never in the game. “It was a poor start and Leeds were good, they dominated us from minute one,” Sheridan accepted.

“There’s a reason why they are top of the tree, they have been good and we got taught a harsh lesson. You can’t make errors like we did.

“I thought they left a few points out there as well in the first half, we were lucky. At 16-0 at half-time it was salvageable and at the start of the second half, for 10 minutes we were competing, then the floodgates opened again.”

Sheridan felt the constant defence his side were forced into before the break took its toll afterwards. “The game’s about fatigue and field position and pressure,” he reflected.

“We put ourselves under way too much pressure. At one point we’d had 24 per cent possession, which is nothing - we had no field position or possession and they completely dominated us. It takes it out of you.

“We were under pressure most of the game and then you are doing things with your game that aren’t really what you’re about; you are trying things and it doesn’t look great. It was a tough night for everybody.”