‘Get him out’ – Leeds Rhinos fans fumed as fury rages after hammering St Helens

VaselineMay 25, 2024

0 3 minutes read

‘Get him out’ – Leeds Rhinos fans fumed as fury rages after hammering St Helens

Leeds Rhinos suffered yet another embarrassing defeat as St Helens put them to the sword at the Totally Wicked Stadium and it’s a loss that saw fans turn on head coach Rohan Smith.

There has been discontent at times among the Leeds Rhinos faithful this season already with post-match boos and chants of “We want Rohan out” following both defeats and wins. However, tonight’s heavy defeat against St Helens seems to have tipped the balance.

Leeds would eventually lose 40-10, but they actually took the lead through Ash Handley and were only 12-6 behind at half-time thanks to a 39th-minute score from Mose Mbye. There were suggestions that Curtis Sironen was ‘kidnapped’ for a try but Leeds kept it tight enough to stay in the game.

That quickly changed in the second half, however, as Daryl Clark and Jack Welsby both scored before the 50 minute mark to extend the lead to 24-6. There was a glimmer of hope when Luis Roberts scored but it quickly faded when Sironen finally got his try just after the hour mark.

Minutes later Tommy Makinson would score his 200th for the club and Jack Welsby then grabbed a second to make it an embarrassing 40-10.

While there have been factions of discontent among Leeds Rhinos fans previously, does this heavy defeat mark the moment when the scales tip and the consensus becomes ‘Rohan out’?

Leeds Rhinos beaten by St Helens

Credit: Imago Images

Defeat at St Helens marked a sixth in Super League for Leeds Rhinos, but they remain just two points outside the play-offs. Instead, the nature of the losses pushed fans to the point of calling for Rohan Smith’s job.

The defeat a fortnight ago in Perpignan was seen as a season low with little to no positives to be taken from it, however tonight’s defeat at the Totally Wicked Stadium could be a notch lower .

St Helens are a top team but their attack has only managed to pick up points against the bottom three sides in Super League until tonight at Leeds. 60 points against Castleford, 58 against Hull FC, 40 against both London Broncos and Hull FC.

Paul Wellens’ side average just over 16 points against all other opponents, which highlights the defensive frailties of Leeds Rhinos and that lack of defence, among other things, has been flagged by many fans.

Is it time for Rohan Smith to go?

Credit: Imago Images

“Smith should probably go now,” was the rating of the top rated comment in response to the club’s post confirming tonight’s result. That commentator would go on to claim that Smith had “lost his fans”.

Another asked: “How long will this be allowed? The Saints are missing half the pack and we haven’t been able to compete yet.”

While social media is a hotbed for negativity, there is often some positivity, but even that was hard to find tonight, the only consolation for Rohan Smith being that not all the blame was placed on him.

The Leeds Rhinos players were taken to task by many fans, with one fan commenting: “The players need to step up, basic errors are costing us every game and some just seem disinterested. Massive performer.”

Given that CEO Gary Hetherington said in pre-season following the acquisition of Brodie Croft and Andy Ackers that their recruitment marked the biggest spend since Iestyn Harris arrived at the end of the 20th century, then it is clearly the players are underperforming.

The hopeless nature of the club was summed up by former Super League official Richard Silverwood, who posted shortly after the game on social media, pleading with Gary Hetherington to make changes.

“Gary, please put him out of his misery. Leeds are a fantastic club with great fans. They deserve better. The team seems deflated and out of ideas.”

With Castleford Tigers, Hull FC and London Broncos around the corner, Gary Hetherington will have a huge decision to make on whether to stick with his man or listen to growing calls for a change.

Gary, please put him out of his misery. Leeds are a fantastic club with great fans. They deserve better. The team seems deflated and out of ideas.

— Richard Silverwood (@SilversRef) May 24, 2024

VaselineMay 25, 2024

0 3 minutes read

Leeds Rhinos beaten by St Helens

Is it time for Rohan Smith to go?

Vaseline

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