Leeds Rhinos fans happy with job well done v Castleford Tigers as Maika Sivo & Chris Hankinson praised

Rhinos weren’t at their best in a 22-4 home win against Castleford Tigers, but Sivo’s hat-trick - taking his tally to nine in just three games - had our panel in raptures. Though Leeds had to dig deep to see off Tigers less than a week after returning from their Las Vegas adventure, the jury were satisfied with a professional job and two more points in Betfred Super League. Attention now turns to Friday’s Challenge Cup tie at Wakefield Trinity and our fans group are expecting another tough game.

TOM GOLDSWORTHY

In what could have been a banana skin for Leeds after the highs of Vegas, we managed the game well and put in a professional performance to get the win over a poor Castleford side. It wasn’t the perfect performance, but it never was going to be at this stage of the season, even if we had not travelled to America and back over the past week.

Good teams find a way to win even when they are not at their best which is what the Rhinos did, quite comfortably as well. For the third week in a row, the star player was Maika Sivo who got another hat-trick, making it nine tries in three games.

It feels like no matter how poorly we play, we will always have a chance at scoring with Sivo on the wing, his try-scoring ability is that good. If we can keep him fit, there is no reason why he cannot go on to break try-scoring records with the way he has been playing.

Looking ahead to the Wakefield game, this will be a closely fought battle against a team who have had an inconsistent start to the season. A cup run should be high up on the agenda for Leeds as the only teams we have beaten in the cup since 2020 are Wests Warriors and Widnes, which is embarrassing for a club as big as ours. Trinity will certainly be no pushovers, but with how we have been playing recently, I cannot see anything but a Leeds win.

KATIE MARCZYNSKI

It wasn’t quite the emphatic victory I was hoping for against Castleford, but we got a hard-earned win which keeps us at the right end of the table. We were rusty and a little tired at times, which is completely understandable. Cas, to their credit, moved the ball well and looked threatening at times, but the difference in quality and execution between the two sides was reflected in the 22-4 scoreline.

Our defence continues to impress, having conceded one try in each of our last two matches and fan-favourite Maika Sivo is unstoppable. We are missing Brodie Croft and lacked that extra spark in attack at the weekend, but George Brown stood in well and hopefully he gets another chance this week.

I wouldn't be surprised to see players rotated for Friday's fourth round Challenge Cup tie at Wakefield. It’s another quick turnaround, but we have depth in the squad so it makes sense to me. I’d quite like to see Jack Bird make his debut and hopefully Mik Oledzki isn’t far off returning. It’s always a tricky place to play, but while I anticipate a tough game I fully expect another Rhinos win.

DAVID MUHL

Job done. After last week’s sensational game in Vegas the important thing was to get the two points and come away injury-free. I think we did that; Ash Handley went off in the first half, but it doesn’t seem to be much. We looked tired at times, which is not surprising, but we managed to grind out a win.

We will come up against stronger opposition this season. I thought Cas were really poor and, other than their try, never really bothered us. They were lucky to play with 13 men for all the game after a nasty tackle on Lachie Miller when he collected a kick.

I don’t want to be totally negative, there were some good performances. Maika Sivo continued his try scoring with a hat-trick and has now got nine tries in three games. Brad Arthur says he’s nowhere near fit and I can’t wait until he is! Miller looked good at full-back, but my star player was Cam Smith. He’s playing some of his best rugby at the moment and taking the captaincy from him has obviously been a good move.

Young George Brown is growing into the role and the more time he plays and trains with the first team, the better he’ll get. Expectations have gone through the roof following the performance against Hull KR and that’s understandable, but teams tend to raise their game against us.

Evidence from other teams who have travelled overseas mid-season is that it’s not the first game on return that’s difficult, but the one after that. It’s Wakefield in the Challenge Cup next and games against them are never easy. I’m really hoping for a win because I’d love a trip to Wembley with the boys this year.

BECKY OXLEY

More than a week after the Vegas masterclass, I’m still feeling exhilarated. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve rewatched it and it just keeps getting better. On Sunday we returned to HQ for a local derby against Cas and I was uncertain about what to anticipate.

I didn’t expect a repeat of last week’s whitewash, but I also wasn’t sure if we would be too jet-lagged to secure a win. Castleford always aim to defeat Leeds and this could have been one of those occasions. It wasn’t the most impressive game, somewhat messy in parts with a lot of penalties, but two points are still two points.

What can I say about Maika Sivo? He scored three more tries and is like Superman on the wing. I’ll state it now, he’s going to be the Man Of Steel in 2026. He knows where the try line is and will reach it, no matter what.

Another player who, for me, has significantly improved is Chris Hankinson. When he joined last season I was sceptical, wondering what we had done, but I must admit I was wrong. Brad Arthur knew what he was doing and that’s why he’s the coach.

With a quick turnaround this week against Wakefield, I sincerely hope we can progress further in the cup than in previous seasons. I would love to reach Wembley and enjoy a fantastic day out. However, it’s anyone’s game on the day. Wakey haven’t had the best start, but you can’t underestimate them on their home turf. The real question is, how many more tries will Sivo score?

ALEX SHARP

Whether in Las Vegas or at Headingley, Maika Sivo is proving to be the real deal and he stood out again in an impressive win against Castleford Tigers on Sunday. After scoring 104 points in the previous two games, I think fans were expecting a blow out against Castleford, however I was happy with the two points whichever way they came.

I think the team missed James McDonnell in the second-row, but Kallum Watkins was brilliant and rightly awarded man of the match by Sky Sports. However, in the stadium Cameron Smith got it for his running game and it is good to see he hasn’t downed tools since his departure to Wakefield was announced earlier this year.

Hopefully we don’t follow in the footsteps of Wigan Warriors who last year had a big win in Vegas, won the homecoming and then fell out of the Challenge Cup to Hull FC a week later looking fatigued and tired. As Leeds fans, we would all like a good run in the cup competition as we have only managed to beat Wests Warriors and Widnes in recent years and have fallen short against every Super League team we have faced since winning the trophy in 2020. Wakefield on Friday night, with a very short turnaround is a big task, but I have full faith in Brad Arthur to get us across the line and get our run to Wembley underway.

IAIN SHARP

The scary thing about Leeds’ performance beating Castleford last Sunday is that the home side, seemingly still lethargic from their globetrotting, barely got out of first gear to string enough together to win.

While the plaudits will go to the performance of Maika Sivo again - now fully channelling his inner Eric Harris, Google his scoring rate Leeds fans - a word about his centre partner for

most of the game, Chris Hankinson. Signed from the car crash that was Salford last season, he probably isn’t on the biggest contract at Leeds, but he is a grafter - and all great teams need them. He’s solid, a goal kicker and can play anywhere across the backline, proving yet again how astute our signing policies have become in recent years.

The injured Brodie Croft made an appearance to do the half-time draw, but looked fine. My advice, to get maximum sympathy from the fans, is to maybe limp more, hop on with a

pair of crutches or perhaps even an arm in a sling. The odd wince and occasionally rubbing the affected area all helps too. Then, when you’re back in the side next week showing no ill

effects, it also helps maintain the reputation of the physio department as miracle workers, handy for the later rounds of the Cup, like Friday’s trip to Wakefield.