Leeds Rhinos v Catalans Dragons: 5 takeaways as ‘rampant’ Rhinos give play-off hopes a ‘shot in the arm’
Leeds Rhinos pair Paul Momirovski (right) and Rhyse Martin (left)
Leeds Rhinos kept their play-off hopes alive with an impressive second-half performance to down Catalans Dragons 18-6 at Headingley.
After a frustrating first forty, Leeds notched an unanswered 18 points to condemn Steve McNamara’s side to their third defeat in four games.
Here are our 5 key takeaways from the vital Leeds Rhinos victory.
The top line
This was a crucial game for both sides, and in the end it was Leeds who gave their play-off aspirations a much-needed shot in the arm.
The Rhinos got off to a fairly slow start, but an improved second-half showing allowed them to condemn Catalans to their third defeat in four matches.
Brad Arthur’s side now sit just two points off Les Dracs in fifth and prepare to take on bottom two sides London Broncos and Hull FC in their next two fixtures, and on tonight’s showing they could secure two convincing wins to move into a top six spot.
Is this a repeat of the 2022 heroics?
What did Brad Arthur say at half-time?
Leeds looked frustrated in the first-half, as Catalans limited pretty much every attacking opportunity; but that all changed in the second period as the rampant Rhinos ran riot.
As the ruck began to tidy itself up, Leeds were allowed to play with quick-ball and put Catalans fully on the back foot.
They looked much more threatening at the line, with multiple runners looking like viable options to hit, as well as Brodie Croft having his own running threat too.
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Lachie Miller, Matt Frawley, Paul Momirovski and Rhyse Martin were able to slice through the line with ease, and elsewhere youngster Tom Nicholson-Watton also showed the depth is there in the squad with a good shift from the bench.
Elsewhere, they contained the larger Catalans middles in defence, which in turn meant they couldn’t get going.
A really impressive half, but the challenge is now if they can produce this for a full 80 minutes.
Lachie Miller, the all-court player
It’s fair to say it hasn’t been plain sailing for Lachie Miller since he arrived in Super League, but he has gradually improved under Brad Arthur and this came to the fore tonight as he produced potentially his best showing in a Leeds shirt.
He had a steady first-half, but boy oh boy did he bring his A-game in the second-half. He notched a nice assist from a sublime line break, and grabbed a try of his own to round off a superb showing.
These two metrics will be what people focus on the most, but he was undoubtedly more assured in the back-field against Catalans, and he did the basics well on top of having these X-factor moments. He was very solid under the high ball, and produced some decent tackles as well.
This is the exact performance Leeds fans have been crying out for this season, and if he can continue this form into 2025 he could be a key man for the future.
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Careless Leeds offloading
Despite the victory, Leeds still have plenty of work ons. At times, it just seemed Leeds were throwing offloads for the sake of them; and it just looked incredibly careless.
James McDonnell, James Bentley and Paul Momirovski were able to get in-behind the Catalans defence on several occasions with some strong tackles, but rather than just taking the tackle looked for an offload.
The intent is positive – don’t get us wrong – but the better option would have been to just take the tackle and allow the Rhinos to get back into shape when Catalans were on the back-foot.
It just seemed impatient, and if they want to continue their attacking improvements they need to cut this out ASAP.
Where do Catalans go from here?
Les Dracs have picked a horrendous time to hit poor form. This has by no means been a vintage season in the South of France, but these past few weeks have been a dark moment in their year.
Defeats to London Broncos, Hull KR and now Leeds Rhinos have allowed the chasing pack to gain points on them, and now Leigh Leopards and their opponents tonight are breathing down their necks and sit in much better form than their French counterparts.
They stripped things back to basics tonight, as they looked to get some go-forward from their pack. It started well for them too, boasting 100% completion rate up to the 30-minute mark, but they just couldn’t keep it going.
As ill-discipline began to creep in, notably around the ruck as they were eventually punished for deliberately slowing the ruck, Leeds made the most of it to get onto the front-foot and eventually ran away with the contest.
It doesn’t get much easier from here either, as they face Wigan Warriors and Salford Red Devils in their next two fixtures. Will they slip out of the play-offs all together?
