Richard Agar takes responsibility for Leeds performance following defeat to Hull
Leeds head coach Richard Agar has taken responsibility for his side’s defeat to Hull in Super League.
Leeds fell to their fourth defeat of the season at home to Hull, losing 31-8 at Headingley Stadium.
Jake Connor displayed a man of the match performance, inspiring his side to their third win of the 2022 campaign.
Richard Agar takes responsibility for disappointing performance
Speaking to Sky Sports following the defeat, Agar said: “I’m surprised by our performance. I thought we were prepared well in the week. We had a longer turnaround than Hull. I was surprised by what I saw as a complete lack of intent from us in the first half.
“Getting off our line, not controlling any rucks, not sticking to our roles. We talked about controlling the ball, but four times on play three we went over the sideline and ultimately we got smashed in the possession count.
“We came out and showed a bit more fight in the second half, but that’s just not good enough. That responsibility rests with me.”
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Agar on Jake Connor and righting wrongs
Connor crossed for the opening try of the fixture and later went over for a brace. He also assisted Adam Swift and kicked a drop-goal. The strong performance comes a fortnight after his six try assists display against Salford.
Jake Connor gets the first try of the game which is converted by Ben McNamara for Hull FC 🙌 pic.twitter.com/9NjpB9u5ih
— Sky Sports Rugby League (@SkySportsRL) March 10, 2022
When asked about Connor by Jenna Brooks on Sky Sports, Agar responded: “I’d look at his first try of a real indication of where we were or where we weren’t in that game. I thought the try when he found the winger was a sublime pass and very difficult to stop at times. But certainly, the first try I thought was just completely indicative of where we were defensively in that first half of football.”
He continued: ““We’ve got a lot to fix. I think you can look at all the technicalities of that game as you want, and the word I’ve used is intent, but attitude and application is a big one.
“I will always take full responsibility for that. It’s up to me to try and get them out of them if I can. That’s the one where I walked off tonight and gone that’s a long, long way short of where this team is and what this team is capable of putting out.”
If asked if he can bring the best out of his side, Agar replied: “I’d like to think so. I’ve been in worse positions than this, let me tell you. There was probably more difficult positions last year. But the lack of intent and the lack of application were a major concern for me.”
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