Cameron Smith believes Rohan Smith has restored some old-fashioned values to Leeds Rhinos – grit, determination and a willingness to put their head in where it hurts. Aussie head coach Smith has presided over two wins from three games since arriving at Headingley as Richard Agar’s successor.
Agar quit in March after a disastrous start to the campaign but club legend Jamie Jones-Buchanan steadied the ship and new boss Smith has harnessed a collective desire among the players. That unity was evident in the Rhinos’ defensive display during last Friday’s stunning 40-4 demolition of Warrington Wolves, according to loose forward Smith.
“I think Rohan’s brought the togetherness back to the group,” the 23-year-old told Leeds Live. “Everybody wants to jump on board with how he wants to play and he is allowing us to express ourselves.
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“It’s about not having that element in our minds of ‘what if we don’t do this, what if we don’t do that?’ We’re playing attractive rugby but you can see the resilience in our defence as well.
“At Warrington last week, they broke us down the edge early doors and had a couple of opportunities to score. It was that togetherness, the scrambling back, and making those tackles which really determined the outcome of the game. Rohan has spoken doing everything as a team and tweaking a bit of our offence to give us a bit more ability to score points.
“He speaks a lot about the little effort areas and makes you think ‘what does the carry after my carry look like?’ Or ‘what does the tackle after my tackle look like?’ in terms of what impact an individual can have on the team’s overall performance.”
Smith admitted the collective spirit of Leeds’ squad was tested during their early-season struggles.
“When you’re looking down the barrel of a couple of defeats, confidence is pretty low and it’s easy within the group to not point the finger but to sulk within the camp,” he explained.
“I think it showed on the field that we didn’t look quite like a team. But, with Rohan coming in with new ideas and new ways to play, everybody seems to have jumped on board.”
Eyebrows were raised when the son of former Bradford Bulls and Wakefield Trinity boss Brian Smith landed the Leeds job. Yet the manner of last Friday’s destruction of Warrington has got Rhinos fans dreaming of the play-offs again and even a potential tilt at title glory.
Homegrown forward Smith is not about to start making any rash predictions for the remainder of the season but he admitted the new head coach had breathed new life into the squad.
“It’s just the relaxed approach that Rohan brings,” said Smith. “He’s a very approachable person and having one-on-one chats with him that I’ve had, he really makes you want to dig in for the cause. If you treat people in the right way, you’ll get the best out of them.
“I think that’s what he’s done within the group. I remember when he first came in and he said different people needed different things. The approach wasn’t black or white or specific to one person and he was asking what was our best play individually for us and how the team can get that out of each player?
“I’ve probably never had that from any other coach and for me, I don’t think there is a specific best play. But Rohan has really implemented a structure which has allowed me to express myself with the players around me. Ultimately, the players around me are doing their bit and, with a bit of shape and structure, we can really score some points.”
Smith competes with Kiwi powerhouse Zane Tetevano and rising star Jarrod O’Connor for the loose forward spot at Leeds. He added: “We all have different attributes and it doesn’t really matter what team we play or how we start. I just think the structure we’re implementing will go across the board and whoever fills that role.”
