Leeds Rhinos talking points: perfect Rob Burrow farewell, Brodie Croft revitalised, credit to Rohan Smith

The first home game since Rob Burrow’s death was a huge challenge for the club, players and fans, but all rose to the occasion magnificently to create an unforgettable tribute to one of Rhinos’ favourite sons. It came at the end of a week which saw coach Rohan Smith depart the club and the search begin for a successor. Here’s five talking points.

1: Perfect send-off.

Last Friday can’t be described as anything other than perfect. Everything about the night was spot on: the build-up, Sky's coverage, the crowd, the respect shown by the away fans, Burrow’s former teammates, the performance and the result. The post-match big screen montage of Burrow’s greatest moments - accompanied by ‘Frank Sinatra’ singing My Way, to an otherwise silent stadium, with Lindsey Burrow and youngsters Maya and Jackson watching from the pitch - was a bit like the ‘Daddy, my Daddy’ bit in The Railway Children movie. Not blubbering was physically impossible.

The love for Burrow and his family was remarkable. It was a unique occasion, every bit as memorable as Burrow’s eight Grand Final triumphs and a privilege to be there.

2: Losing not an option

Amid all the emotion, Rhinos prop Mikolaj Oledzki gave an incredibly composed interview on the pitch after the final whistle, when he admitted: “Losing this game wasn’t an option”. Maybe not, but once the teamsheets were printed, a Leeds win seemed highly unlikely.

Injuries pared Rhinos to the bare bones, but from the moment the match kicked off it seemed something special was in the air. It was similar to the home defeat of Catalans in March; Rhinos had no territory - only six play-the-balls in Leigh’s danger zone - but took their chances in clinical fashion and the goalline defence was outstanding. Rhinos have made more errors than any other Betfred Super League side this year, but competed at better than 90 per cent and gave a glimpse of what they are truly capable of. Lovely, but doing it consistently is the challenge now.

3: Why the improvement?

In the first game since Smith’s departure, Leeds played with greater spirit and freedom than during the latter stages of his reign and did the basics so much better. It raised the question, why couldn’t they do that for their former boss.

Brodie Croft was clearly a man on a mission and it did look like the shackles had been removed. However, they were swept along on a tide of emotion and that was also a big factor. One win a season does not make.

What the result and performance showed is this is a better Leeds squad than results this year suggest, there’s some exciting youth coming through - Alfie Edgell and Ned McCormack were excellent - and most experienced coaches would look at Rhinos’ roster and think ‘I could do something with that’.

4: Key decision.

Three days into his new job as Leeds Rhinos’ sporting director, Ian Blease was facing what will possibly be the most crucial decision of his entire time at the club. Leeds have to appoint the right coach this time.

There will be no shortage of interest. It remains one of the top jobs in the sport and last Friday highlighted what a huge club Rhinos still are, but any appointment is a gamble.

Proven trophy-winners with a recent record of success are not available, so the choice will come down to someone who was sacked from a previous position, a current assistant or a head-coach looking to step up to a bigger club.

The two most obvious candidates are Aussie Brad Arthur, who spent 10 years in charge of NRL club Parramatta Eels before being axed last month and Englishman Paul Rowley, currently working wonders on a restricted budget at Salford Red Devils. Leeds need someone who can bring the best out of his players and knows how to cope when things go wrong. Either of those would appear to be a good fit.

5: Classy Rohan Smith.

Unfortunately, it had gone past the stage where Smith could win over his critics; with him in charge, the victory against Leigh would inevitably have been dismissed as papering over the cracks, But one thing everyone should agree on is the former coach deserves great credit for his actions over recent days.

The writing was on the wall - in giant red paint - probably even before Leeds lost at Hull FC, but the toxic atmosphere in the away end at that match sent up a warning flare. Chants of ‘Rohan out’ were the last thing anyone wanted at the Leigh game and by stepping down when he did, Smith ensured that was avoided and all the focus would be on Burrow.

That - and the fact he attended Friday’s game to pay his respects - says a lot about the ex-boss as an individual. He didn’t deserve the vitriol directed at him, but has left the club a wiser, more experienced coach. He still has a lot to offer and everybody associated with Rhinos should wish him well.