Former Super League duo lay into ’embarrassing’ Leeds Rhinos and Hull FC after poor seasons

Former Super League players turned pundits Kyle Amor and Danika Priim have heavily criticised both Leeds Rhinos and Hull FC ahead of tonight’s final round of regular season fixtures.

Headed up by nephew and uncle duo Rohan and Tony Smith, neither of the two clubs are able to make the play-offs, so will bow out of the competition regardless of what happens this evening.

Leeds – sat 8th – have conceded 111 unanswered points over the course of their last two games, breaking unwanted records in last week’s 61-0 hammering by Catalans Dragons in the South of France.

Hull meanwhile lost 52-20 in their final home game of the campaign last Saturday, beaten heavily by another side who have endured a poor year in Huddersfield Giants.

And speaking on The Sportsman’s The Last Tackle podcast, neither Amor or Priim had anything positive to reflect on when it came to the seasons of either the Rhinos or the Black and Whites.

Danika Priim provides brutally honest assessment of Leeds Rhinos failures

Leeds-born and a Rhinos fan, former England international Priim retired in 2021 having spent three years playing for her hometown club.

The ex-prop led the criticism of the eight-time Grand Final winners. She said: “Cut me like a stick of rock and I’m blue and amber, but Leeds – from their glory days of 2015 and 2017 – were right up there. Since then, everyone still pitches them as that top four/five team. When was the last time they were?

“They’ve edged their way to a Challenge Cup and into a Grand Final last year, but in reality they are another team that have been re-building and re-structuring for the last four years.

“How many managers and coaches have they had? The player turnover, people coming in and out, and I think it’s about time that we all start being really honest about Leeds. Last week, they went over to Catalans with a chance of making the play-offs.

“Mathematically, it was very, very tight but there was still that slim chance that had they turned up, they maybe could have made that top six. They didn’t deserve it, and they need to take a long hard look at themselves.

“They need to just finish the season off, it’s a home game for them (against Castleford Tigers), thank their fans, play a decent game, take time off to recoup, and then really think about re-structuring and what they’re going to do. There’s not many more times I want to hear Rohan Smith saying, ‘we’re re-building, give us time’.”

Kyle Amor hammers Hull FC: ‘They’ve completely been embarrassing’

Whitehaven-born Amor also played for Leeds in the early stages of his career, most well-known for his nine-year spell at St Helens which saw him win four Grand Finals.

His last stint in Super League was a short one with Warrington Wolves, a club infamously recognised for their inability to triumph at Old Trafford to date, but the 36-year-old believes Hull’s woes are even worse than those of the Wire.

He said: “I think the results tell you over the 26 rounds that that’s the way it is, they haven’t been bothered most of the season.

“Hull FC, I think their story is a bit more laughable than Warrington’s ‘it’s always our year’. I don’t see how a side can continually have all the facilities, resources and squad there but time and time again throw in a load of rubbish each and every single year.

“Yes they’ve won a couple of Challenge Cup finals, but we’re years on from that. They need to now start delivering. Hopefully next year they can, I think having a strong Hull FC team in Super League is massive, I really do.

“Hull KR, they’re reaping the rewards at the moment and showing the bigger brothers how it should be done. It’s not only that FC have done nothing, they’ve completely been embarrassing the way that they’ve fallen off. The famous saying is being consistent at being inconsistent, but come on.

“They’ve got quality players in there. Adam Swift, he’s just won their Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year, he’s been fantastic and what an addition he’s going to be for Ian Watson (at Huddersfield) next season.

“He’s one of the best wingers in the competition. Tex Hoy, (Jake) Clifford, they’ve all played big parts but they just haven’t been able to glue it all together for far too long.”

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