Coach knows best, where to strengthen & Castleford Tigers banana skin: Leeds Rhinos talking points

Coach Brad Arthur’s side are fourth in Betfred Super League ahead of Saturday’s round 12 derby at Castleford Tigers and will go into that game buoyed by their dramatic late comeback victory against Hull FC. Here’s five talking points.

1: It's just possible Brad Arthur knows better than the rest of us. Ash Handley was one of the best wingers in Betfred Super League for a number of years and - though the YEP predicted it - there was widespread surprise when he was handed the number four jersey in pre-season.

After Maika Sivo suffered a knee injury which ruled him out of the whole 2025 campaign, there was again a feeling Handley would be restored to his wing role, but the coach stuck to his guns and he has been proved right. Handley, who has thrived under the co-captaincy, is far from the finished article in his new position, but is getting better every week.

He had a big game against Hull and his run which set up field position for Hall’s winning try was a huge moment, not only in the game, but potentially Rhinos’ campaign.

Keeping Handley at centre also allowed Riley Lumb to get a run of games on the left-wing. The 20-year-old, while still a rookie, has touched down nine times in 13 matches and the experience he is gaining will stand Rhinos in good stead for years to come, so win-win.

2: Hull were the better side overall, but some big plays - including that run by Handley - swung it for Rhinos. Handley’s charge set up field position for Kallum Watkins to go agonisingly close to scoring and the loose-forward deserves huge credit for keeping a cool head and resisting the temptation to stretch over the line. A double-movement then would have won the game for Hull, but Watkins’ experience and composure paid off on the next play when Hall crossed from a wonderful pass by Lachie Miller.

Hall’s finish - sheer strength with defenders all round him - typified why he is Super League’s greatest try scorer. He hadn’t had his best game, but came up with the goods when it mattered most. He was the match-winner, but there would have been no last-gasp drama if Brodie Croft hadn’t made a stunning try-saving tackle when Tom Briscoe looked certain to cross for Hull at 16-10.

Overall, it wasn’t one of Rhinos’ best performances, but they found a way to win a close game and that’s another sign of progress. Victories like that one can sometimes be the making of a special season.

3: Tom Holroyd’s new contract, keeping him at Rhinos until the end of 2028, is good business on the club’s part. After Morgan Gannon’s decision to join New Zealand Warriors from next season, losing another talented, home-grown forward would have been a blow.

Holroyd had interest from other clubs, but Rhinos made him a lucrative offer and the long-term deal gives him and the club some stability. With Mikolaj Oledzki, James Bentley and James McDonnell also having extended their stay, sporting director Ian Blease can reflect on a job well done, but not for long. Lachie Miller, Harry Newman, Ash Handley, Brodie Croft, Andy Ackers, Keenan Palasia, McDonnell, Cameron Smith, Jarrod O’Connor, Cooper Jenkins, Jake Connor, Jack Sinfield, Alfie Edgell, Ned McCormack, Max Simpson and Toby Warren are all out of contract at the end of 2026 - and that doesn’t include Ryan Hall and Kallum Watkins who will be if they decide to go round again.

Rhinos will probably want to keep most of those, so Blease is in for a busy few months.There’s also recruitment to consider. Some of that will depend on how negotiations with the existing squad go and Leeds don’t need a lot of new faces, but an outside-back, half-back and forward may be on the agenda.

4: The noise when Ryan Hall scored his winner against Hull was extraordinary and the party on the South Stand terracing continued for a good 10 minutes after the final whistle. With a crowd of more than 15,000 and both the South Stand and Western Terrace in good voice, it felt like a throwback 10 years or so to the days of Rhinos’ Golden Generation.

After Holroyd’s new deal was announced on the morning of the game and Las Vegas having been confirmed earlier in the week, there’s a feelgood factor around the club that has been sadly missing for a while. That said, fourth-placed Leeds are just four points clear of Warrington Wolves in ninth, so even a play-off spot is far from secure. Saturday’s derby at Castleford Tigers is definitely a banana skin and if they are going to achieve anything this year, they can’t afford to slip up in what is always a tough encounter.

5: The name might not be familiar to most fans, but Derek Hallas’ death last week was a sad loss for Leeds. Having scored two tries in the club’s first Championship final victory, Hallas has a special place in the club’s heart. The success against Warrington at Odsal in 1961 was the greatest day in Leeds’ pre-Rhinos history and - according to the players’ association - now only Vince Hattee, the other centre and Fred Pickup, who didn’t play on the day, survive from that famous squad.