Perhaps that performance shouldn't have come as a surprise. Maybe the signs in the pre-season games should have been given more seriousness.
But very few associated with Leeds Rhinos could have envisaged the opening night of their Super League campaign going as bad as this. They were bullied, beaten up and outclassed.
Even Rohan Smith, who rarely sways from his calm demeanour win or lose, appeared to be a little stunned by what he had just seen his team dish up. It's no secret that Leeds' performances in the off-season were far from inspiring but he insisted it was part of their journey. But their mauling at the hands of the Wolves was never on his progression chart.
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The concern is that one of the persisting issues in the trial games reared its head again, only far uglier than before. Leeds' defence through the middle was punched in the face over and over and over again. Warrington hammered them through the middle and the Rhinos had no resistance, no counter. Warrington didn't end a single set in the first half from within their own area of the field. And they regularly made 70, even 80 metres down the field by being direct.
Smith pointed out after the game that it isn't a new problem, during last year's surge to Old Trafford they had similar challenges, only back then, their goal line defence was much better than it was at the Halliwell Jones Stadium. And he's right to that extent, Leeds' try-line defence was out of sync on Thursday and they made far too many errors in their own half that made matters so much worse.
And credit to Warrington, who ended their sets superbly, forcing repeats and errors before backing it up with an aggressive defensive line that was everything Leeds' was not. The fact they had so much possession, and as a result so much energy, helped them do that.
But Leeds' passiveness through the middle does appear to be the initial issue. There's nothing wrong with Leeds backing themselves to defend their own half and their own line but they're almost inviting teams to play in good ball, which then forces them to come out of tight spots in possession. It also relies on the opposition falling short and making errors. Warrington didn't and they came completely unstuck.
The reality is that results in the opening rounds aren't the be-all and end-all. Leeds' journey last season proves that. But performances are important and the Rhinos provided a bitterly disappointing one. Fans want something to buy into and coaches want something to build on. You'd have to say Leeds failed to deliver in both of those departments.
The one beauty is that Leeds can fix this issue quickly. A better performance next week, and ideally a result to match, will see this display forgotten. But there's more pressure to deliver now than there was before their opening display.
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