'I fear for rugby league's future': Leeds Rhinos fans assess season so far

Leeds are fourth in Betfred Super League, on the back of a Magic Weekend win over St Helens and could have some influential players back from injury for Friday’s home game against Hull FC. Our supporters panel reckon the team are clearly improving, but even so, one of them has issued a call for ‘grumpy’ fans to stick together and another fears the sport itself could be dying a slow death.

DAVID MUHL

We are 10 rounds into Super League 2025 and doing okay, I think. Sitting fourth in the table with six wins is a great improvement and if we continue in this form, a top-six finish should be guaranteed. Only the Catalans defeat was poor, the other games we lost narrowly.

Brad Arthur has certainly made a huge difference and his loss next season - if indeed he does go, which is looking more likely - will be a huge blow. Let’s hope the search for his successor brings in a good, experienced coach who can continue his great work. He was right to initially concentrate on our defence and discipline. As my old dad used to say, ‘if you don’t let the opposition score, you can’t lose’.

Our attack is coming along nicely and Brad will have some big decisions to make in the next few weeks with the likes of Brodie Croft, Ryan Hall and Cameron Smith all coming back into contention. Away from the field, I was lucky enough to attend the Hall of Fame dinner where four new players were inducted. I am old enough to have seen three of the four players grace the field and they were all class acts and deserved the accolade.

The dinner also celebrated the 1975 Premiership win, 2005 World Club Challenge and the treble in 2015 and players from all the teams were in attendance. I was one of the few there who had been to all those games and it was a pleasure to be surrounded by Leeds player royalty. As Tony Smith, who was in attendance, said, our club does these events brilliantly, probably the best of any club and it’s something we should all be very proud of. Imagine what it would be like if BA stayed and brought the glory of those years back to Headingley.

On to Hull next and this will be a tricky game. Hull have played some good rugby this year and are just one place below us in the table, but I am still predicting a win.

BECKY OXLEY

With over a third of the season completed, being in the top-six is where we rightfully belong. Although we were eliminated from the Challenge Cup, our competitive spirit has improved compared to the last few seasons.

Currently, Jake Connor stands out as the key player for me. He leads the statistics for the Man of Steel awards, demonstrating his skills in both offense and defense. Initially, supporters questioned his signing, viewing him as a liability and a hothead. However, I always believe in giving players a chance and he has proven his critics wrong, which is commendable. I eagerly anticipate what more he will contribute this season.

Brad Arthur has certainly discovered the team's strengths and we are beginning to perform like a team capable of winning Super League. It remains uncertain whether he will stay with us next season or return to Australia, but he has established a solid foundation for us to build on as a team and a club.

This Friday, Hull visit Headingley and they too have been working to overcome their past challenges. Matches against them are always fiercely contested and I expect this one to be no different. However, I predict a victory for the Rhinos as we continue to march on together.

TOM GOLDSWORTHY

I have always thought the 10-game mark in a season will be a good indicator of where your team is at and it is fair to say Leeds have started the season strongly, especially when compared to other years. Before the season started, we were crying out for an improvement in discipline and effort on the pitch and we have definitely seen that.

Under a competent coach, we have seen our Rhinos team transformed into a well-oiled machine, capable of competing. While we are nowhere near the finished article yet, the signs are there that this season might be a bit special.

Unfortunately, we still have that bit of previous coach Rohan Smith in us, which has cost us throughout the opening 10 games. Against Warrington and Hull KR, plus Saints in the Cup, we were well on top, but a 10-minute wobble with a few silly errors ended up costing us the victory. However, it is still early days and I expect Arthur will continue to iron out the mistakes.

Looking ahead to Hull FC, we should be winning it with no excuses. Headingley is starting to become a fortress again and I back the boys to use momentum from the Magic Weekend win to see us over the line. Hopefully the week off has given time for key players like Cameron Smith and Brodie Croft to get back to full fitness and we can finally see a full-strength team run out.

IAIN SHARP

In many years of watching Leeds, I’ve seen numerous changes to the ground: the removal of terracing, new North and South stands, the loss of the paddocks and introduction of seats and even family areas. Now I’d like to suggest a radical new area of the ground - the Grumpy Section. Not, as the name might suggest, a place for habitual whinging about the team, but rather somewhere for people who can sit and watch 40 minutes of rugby without having to get up every five minutes.

Call me old fashioned, but actually watching the game is the principle reason I go to matches. When I was a kid watching matches on TV at home, I had a sixth sense that a try was coming. I knew because a parent started hoovering in front of the telly…

Maybe the underlying issue is drinking in view of the pitch? I occasionally attend lower league soccer games - where drinking is banned - and I’m faced with far fewer interruptions there than at Headingley. And if you get up at a gig or the theatre, you often can’t return to your seat until there’s an interval.

My friends and I sometimes have a little game. We all chip a couple of quid into a bag and every time someone walks past while the game is on, the bag passes to the right until it reaches the end of our row, then it’s passed back to the start. Our personal best, in the Carnegie Stand a few years ago, was 21 occasions during an 80-minute match. It turned out to be more thrilling than watching the rugby itself.

I appreciate that kids want to get up and need the toilet more often, but the majority of that 21 were adults who knew better. So, if my dream of Grumpy Section ever comes to fruition, who’s with me?

GAVIN MILLER

It was nice to get a week off from rugby league, because I am finding games more of a chore than ever at the moment. It got me thinking about what the sport needs to bring it back to its heyday and restore the exciting game I know and love.

I have been wondering, when was the pinnacle of the sport - when was it at its best? I concluded that was the early-to mid-2000s, ironically around the time of Leeds’ first Grand Final win in 2004. I went to every game, home and away, that season; the sport was fast, brutal, skilful and fair and I loved it. Though, obviously, winning the title helped.

So I look at the sport now and it is slower and definitely no longer brutal. It’s also less skilful, half-backs don’t seem to do the unexpected any more and I really don’t think the game is fair as it is rife with cheating and play-acting.

Can the clock be rewound? That’s the big question; if coaches and teams remain obsessed with playing ‘athletes’ and with completion rates, then it’s unlikely to get quicker and more skilful. And as long as the ‘no impact with the head’ laws remain in place, it won’t get any more brutal or fair. All in all, I fear for the future of the sport as a spectacle.