Sky Sports pundit Barrie McDermott believes his old club Leeds Rhinos overachieved last season – but insists anything less than reaching another final in 2023 would be an underachievement. The eight-time Super League champions were written off as no-hopers after Richard Agar quit just six games into the previous campaign.
Yet Aussie head coach Rohan Smith conjured a stunning revival which culminated in the Rhinos making the Grand Final, where they lost to all-conquering St Helens. With a significant turnover of players at Headingley during the winter, McDermott is not quite sure what to expect from Smith’s side in 2023.
The ex-prop told Leeds Live: “It’s a big year for Leeds Rhinos – they overachieved last season when getting to a Grand Final could have only been a pipe dream when they were second from bottom. But they went on an unbelievable run under Rohan Smith and that just goes to show the potential of the group.
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“I’ve really enjoyed watching Leeds play the style that Rohan is encouraging so anything less than a final this year is an underachievement. But I’ve been up to Headingley a few times this year and there is a lot of confidence – everybody is bouncing and anticipating a good year.”
A number of trusted performers such as Tom Briscoe, Zak Hardaker, Liam Sutcliffe and Brad Dwyer have moved on while former skipper Matt Prior has retired.
Over a handful of new signings have been made and McDermott added: “I’m going to the Boxing Day friendly against Wakefield at Headingley and am looking forward to see how the Rhinos shape up.
"Rohan is such a level-headed, positive coach and I’m sure Leeds will continue to evolve nicely under him. I defy anybody to tell me that Leeds isn’t the best place to play your rugby league in terms of the facilities, the playing surface being great, and when the crowd get behind you there is nowhere like it.
“We saw that at the end of last season and, if you’re a player who feeds off that atmosphere and thrives on it, it can boost your performance by 10 or 15%. There is so much history at Leeds – it’s on the walls all over at Headingley – and that’s what makes the club so special.
“But Rohan doesn’t get weighed down by that and is more concerned with the present day and making sure the current team represents the fans in the best way possible. I thought he did a good job in getting the fans onside last season and built a relationship with them.
“I felt at the back end of the year, the band was playing, the chants were going and the players were reacting. That bodes well and should hopefully provide Leeds with the energy and enthusiasm boost that they need going into the new season.”
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