Leeds Rhinos could become short kick-off specialists in 2023 as part of Rohan Smith's evolving philosophy ahead of his first full season in charge. The Australian has admitted his side may adopt contested restarts on a regular basis next year after testing the waters in recent games.
The Rhinos regularly attempted short kick-offs in the exhibition match against New Zealand and did the same in the Boxing Day hit-out against Wakefield Trinity, retrieving the ball back on several occasions across both games.
Smith has had a full pre-season to implement his own identity on the team's brand of rugby, having successfully implemented more subtle changes on the run after taking charge midway through last season. More evident changes may be on show this year, with short kick-offs having the potential to be one of the more obvious shifts in style.
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Speaking to Rugby League Live, Smith said: "I think in a sport where everyone wants the ball and coaches speak about needing the ball, there's something to be considered when every time there's a kick off the team kicks it straight down the field. Matthew Elliott's Canberra team were the best at consistently executing a contested kick-off and that stuck with me the most.
"There are a lot of things that come into our game but you can't have everything all of the time, it's something that's good for the game to add in that's not always seen in the overly predictable product we've created. Trying to get the ball back is something we'd like to do where possible and necessary."
Smith is still assessing how his team will present itself next year, with pre-season training continuing to bring opportunities and considerations to the fore.
"The only comparison I like to make to other teams is how we're going to match up against them rather. I like teams with that much clearer perspective and identity and then figuring out how we'll combat that. I guess the dynamic of our group, I was working things out on the run last year, we had injuries and suspensions, I'm not sure we had the same team twice, we certainly never had a first-choice team to pick from.
"Our team could well evolve over the season and I think we're in a decent position but that could easily evolve as we are very young in terms of age but also time together. Sezer and Austin are going into their second year but they haven't played much with Myler or Leeming, which was probably considered the first-choice spine at the start of last year."
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