I have no affinity towards Leeds Rhinos. I very much watch their progress with no personal attachment or investment in their fortunes. And, as controversial and unpopular as this might sound to the supporters of the club, I think there is a quite significant gulf between expectation and reality at the minute.
Let's rewind the clocks a year or so to when Rohan Smith was appointed as head coach. It was made transparently clear that the Australian had been brought in to oversee a long-term rebuild of the playing group. And everyone agreed, everyone sang off the same hymn sheet. They said that Rohan Smith needed time.
But that standpoint was never really challenged. The patience that fans said they would offer was never tested because the Rhinos were winning every week and made a Grand Final. Last year's appearance at Old Trafford does appear to have made some lose sight of the bigger picture at Headingley. To a degree, Rohan Smith is a victim of his very early success.
