Leeds Rhinos 'motivated' by St Helens defeat as Brodie Croft says they have fire in their belly
The agonising end to Leeds Rhinos’ 2025 season is gone, but not forgotten according to Australian star Brodie Croft.
Rhinos were one tackle away from a semi-final at Hull KR - a team they’d beaten twice earlier in the campaign - but were left shattered when visitors St Helens kept the ball alive to snatch a remarkable victory after the final hooter. The play-off eliminator was arguably Leeds’ most devastating defeat in Betfred Super League, after they had been two scores clear in the closing stages and Croft insisted: “It can definitely be used as some motivation.”
The stand-off, who scored a hat-trick of tries in last weekend’s Cameron Smith testimonial against Bradford Bulls, said Rhinos have spoken about the loss and put it behind them, but will use the memory to drive them on when the going gets tough this term.
“We can’t keep dwelling on it and thinking ‘what if’, but it is certainly at the back of our minds,” Croft admitted. “I feel like you’re not human if you don’t have that fire in your belly after something like that. We have touched on it, that’s probably as much as we need to go into it, but this is a new season and everybody starts at zero points on the ladder. You’ve got to build your season again and I am looking forward to it.”
Rhinos begin their league campaign away to Leigh Leopards in two weeks’ time on Friday, February 13. Their first competitive match is a Challenge Cup third round tie at Widnes Vikings six days earlier.