Leeds Rhinos fans in 'poor team' dig at Castleford Tigers, praise ref, ponder new deal for Sam Lisone

The YEP’s Rhinos fans jury are in celebratory mood following the 29-6 victory at the Jungle, which strengthened the team’s hold on a play-off spot. Opinion is divided over who was Leeds’ best player, but the panel agree coach Brad Arthur’s side are heading in the right direction ahead of this Saturday’s home clash with Wakefield Trinity.

DAVID MUHL

After last Saturday, I’m suffering from vertigo! Third in the table is the highest we’ve been for years and we fully deserve it. We have a solid team who have learned how to win and play attractive rugby. Although it looks likely Brad Arthur will be leaving us at the end of the year, I hope Ian Blease is working hard to try to persuade him to stay - and if not, is looking for a good replacement. I sincerely hope the rumours about Steve McNamara are untrue. I don’t think he’s the coach for us.

Back to last Saturday’s game, it was a good performance all round. Sky went for Jarrod O’Connor as man of the match, picked by Barrie McDermott, but - although he had a good game - I had four players above him. Sam Lisone probably had his best match in Leeds colours. God knows what he had for breakfast, but he looked solid and aggressive, scoring a brace of tries. Jake Connor continued his fine run and his kicking game is really causing opposition teams problems. Accurate and varied, his kicks are regularly turning into tries.

Lachie Miller also had a good game, both in attack and under the high ball, but my star player was Kallum Watkins. He was pure class and whenever he was on the field, we looked a dangerous team. I don’t think, though, there was a bad performance from any of the 17 players on duty and it was good to see us with a big, strong bench.

We often criticise referees and I have been as guilty as anyone, but praise must go to Liam Rush who got all the major decisions right and kept the game flowing. That was especially praiseworthy as he had to double up as video referee following technical problems. I hope he got double pay.

IAIN SHARP

The South Stand-powered deadly submarine goes on, coming up from the depths and sitting a handy third in the league now, after navigating the tricky uncharted waters of Castleford. It’s just where you’d want to be at this point of the season.

A trip to our West Yorkshire rivals, that Leeds United enclave, has always been a potentially

banana skin, but fans can breathe a little easier these days, now Brad Arthur has steadied the ship. The game itself was the expected arm-wrestle up to half-time, regardless of the quality of the opposition. While our defence is top drawer, our attack still stutters a little and had the ball stuck, Leeds would have been over the horizon by half time.

What we are getting the hang of is game-management and on virtually the last play of the half, leading 6-0, popping over a drop goal to gain a two-score advantage is a great play. Lachie Millier has settled faster than fans have trying to say his first name; he is a constant handful from the back and this week was backed up by the tackling efforts of Jarrod O’Connor and big Sam Lisone. How much longer Leeds will face trips to Wheldon

Road - a ground that looks just about the same as it did on that episode of ‘Go With Noakes’ from the 1970s - given a potential NRL-fuelled shake up of Super League, is anyone’s guess. Wakefield next Saturday, either in person or from home, if you can work out where to find it on the BBC, iPlayer, red button or wherever else it might pop up.

BECKY OXLEY

Last week’s highlights included Wheldon Road and a West Yorkshire derby. It’s a truly traditional match that I eagerly await on the calendar. The game was undoubtedly dominated by the Rhinos forwards. Jarrod O’Connor put in around 50 tackles, while Big Sam Lisone bulldozed through his opponents like a true Rhino.

The first half was closely contested, but the Rhinos showcased our team's evolution in the second half. Post-match, Brad Arthur remarked that we were ‘professional’, a refreshing change after the past few seasons. We are demonstrating considerably more skill and patience, which is yielding positive results.

Sitting third in the table is an unfamiliar, yet pleasant, sight for us supporters as it appears the club is functioning cohesively, fostering a positive atmosphere. Morale is high and, although there is still room for improvement, BA is undoubtedly pushing us forward. If we maintain our strategy and continue to improve, the possibilities for our future are exciting.

As we approach the halfway mark of the season with the MND Awareness game against Wakefield on Saturday, we’re anticipating another intense West Yorkshire derby. We aim to avenge the defeat from the first round so let’s, as always, keep the faith and keep marching on together.

TOM GOLDSWORTHY

After the previous week’s excitement, it was pleasing to see us record another win against Castleford in what turned out to be a routine performance from the Rhinos. I think the biggest compliment I can give this Leeds performance is that it was very professional.

The Tigers were always going to raise their game against us, as it is a cup final for them, but Leeds showed patience and a maturity to ride the storm and take their opportunities as and when they came. We need to start acting like a big club again; beating poor teams like Castleford without getting out of second gear should be the standard.

One of the standout players for me on Saturday was Sam Lisone. He has previously come under criticism (and rightly so) for his performances, but we are starting to see the best of him again. His two tries will capture the headlines, but he put in an impressive shift, making 140 metres. We definitely need to see more of this level of performance against the bigger sides before entertaining the idea of offering him a new contract, but it is good to see the big man doing what he does best again.

Looking ahead to the Wakefield game, I think we will learn from the previous time we met them and pick up our fourth win in a row. Wakefield have been in good form since being promoted and will provide a strong test for Leeds, but with the form we are in, I cannot see anything but a win for the home side. The improvement this season has been pleasing to see, but third in the table should not be our ceiling. We need to keep up these performances and push on to compete for top spot.

GAVIN MILLER

I got stick last week for saying the Hull game was Leeds’ best performance in 10 years. Saturday, I think, was a step up from that. What do I mean by best performance? I’ll try clarify.

Firstly, the team are playing like a team and have a clear identity and way of playing. This is what has been missing since 2015. It’s very clear watching Brad Arthur’s team what he is trying to do and, so far, it’s working. They are working very hard in defence - across 80 minutes, but especially in the first half - and then earning the right for victory in the second half, pushing on with the skills and the plays and moving away from teams as time progresses.

The week before, they kept going for victory, Saturday was text book. Cas put up some resistance and provided tough opposition, but the players earned the victory across the 80 minutes. Moving forward, Leeds need to carry on the process, carry on the plan and carry on the hard work. If so, they could do some damage to the play-offs and work towards a Grand Final. ‘Keep going Leeds’ is my message, it’s working so far.