Leeds Rhinos legend Barrie McDermott has urged Richard Agar’s misfiring side to “hold your nerve” but also not be afraid to pull each other up when required.
Big things were expected of Leeds this year following the close-season acquisition of Aidan Sezer, Blake Austin, James Bentley and David Fusitu’a.
After five rounds, though, the Rhinos have slumped to four defeats and were taken to the cleaners at home by Hull FC on Thursday night.
Ex-Leeds prop McDermott watches every team in Super League closely in his role working as an expert summariser on Sky Sports’ live coverage.
McDermott told Rugby League Live: “I go to the Boxing Day friendly against Wakefield every year and I came away feeling really optimistic about Leeds’ hopes this season.
“Blake Austin and Aidan Sezer played really well and for the last two years the Rhinos have had a decent pack.
“You then look at all the young lads coming through and a lot of the pieces were in place.
“That can take time to gel because your two half-backs are your brains trust – your steering wheel and your sat nav.
“You would think that that Austin and Sezer, having spent time together in their Canberra days, would be able to forge that partnership and that understanding quicker than they have.
“There has been definitely been flashes of it and you can see it’s going to come.
“When Austin, Sezer and Kruise Leeming come together in a triangle – when they look, think and act the same way – then Leeds are going to take some beating.
“But it’s just not right at the minute. All the parts right now are functioning individually without that collective pattern that all good teams need.”
The 2004 Grand Final winner feels now is not a time for panic or to start pointing the finger at head coach Agar.
But he says Leeds’ players should not be afraid to pull one another into line if they feel a team-mate has not been putting into a shift.
McDermott added: “Coaches often talk about taking one game at a time and that’s definitely the case for this group of Leeds players.
“What they have got to do is make small, incremental improvements.
“The thing that beat them on Thursday night against Hull FC was their attitude.
“If they can improve their attitude then, with the personnel they have in their ranks, a run of wins is just around the corner.
“When you’re in a side where you’re expected to do well but you’re not, then you’ve got to dig in and hold your nerve.
“You’ve got to support your team-mate but also not be afraid to pull him in line if needed.
“That would be my message – hold your nerve but accept responsibility for what you have dished up in these first five games.
“Whoever is in the head coach’s hot-seat at Leeds always gets pulled to bits.
“When you play for Leeds Rhinos, and you don’t win, then there has to be a tangible reason for that loss.”
Agar is approaching his three-year anniversary in charge at Headingley after replacing the axed David Furner in May 2019.
Agar initially steered Leeds away from relegation danger, guided them to Challenge Cup glory in his first full season in 2020 and then saw his men go to within 80 minutes of the Gran Final last term.
Agar has been critical of his players after certain games this season but McDermott says not too much should be read into that.
“As a player, such criticism can potentially make you turn away from your coach or it can make you want to prove him wrong,” said McDermott.
“But often what’s said on the outside doesn’t match up with what’s said internally.
“Some of the smartest coaches will be protecting the players externally but rollicking them internally and vice versa. There might be a bit of that in play here.”
On the abject 31-8 surrender against Hull FC, McDermott added: “This was a game the Rhinos were expected to win.
“I certainly thought they had enough in their ranks, with all those players missing for Hull FC, to win the game.
“But some of the things that Leeds did were way below standard for the potential of this team.
“I don’t think you can put it all on the shoulders of the coach – I don’t think that’s fair and I don’t suppose that all the credit will go to him when things turn around either.
“But as a leadership position, coaches expect and want to shoulder that burden of responsibility.
“Good leadership is about absorbing all that pressure, dealing with all the outside distractions, and creating that bubble for the players to do what they need to do.”
McDermott said playing for Leeds comes with a pressure that players must be able to cope with.
He explained: “You’re expected to play well in every game and very often, if you don’t play well but still win then the crowd isn’t happy either.
“The South Stand and the Headingley faithful demand a lot because the club have put a lot into the joint.
“It’s the best facility in the game and for me it’s the best atmosphere in the game.
“You as a player must be able to rise to that pressure.
“I’ve said it a few times, nothing annoys me more than when I see an opposing player say that their favourite ground is Headingley.
“It should be a place where they fear to play and I’m not sure that that’s the case; not all the time anyway.
“I had to pinch myself sometimes as a player when I ran out at Headingley but you look at the place now and it’s another level again.
“It’s an unbelievable place to play when you get it right and those Friday nights, when the sun is shining, and the band is playing in the South Stand and you’re really riding that wave of emotion and joy, it’s brilliant.
“But on the other side, when it doesn’t go right they let you know.
“The job of the player is to look at themselves and think how they can get better and Rich will be leading that.
“The standards and culture of the place will be dictated by the coach, but I believe it has to be player-driven.
“I remember in 2000, we reached the Challenge Cup final having not won a league game under Dean Lance.
“We played at Murrayfield without a point on the league table, so it’s not a new thing in sport to not look too far ahead.
“As I say, game by game it’s about making small, steady improvements individually and as a team.”
