Former Leeds Rhinos man reveals why Rohan Smith is struggling

This has led some to suggest that Rohan Smith could be the next Super League head coach to walk out the door, following his uncle Tony, who was sacked from his role at Hull FC earlier this season.

Blake Austin, who played in the halves for Leeds in the 2022 and 2023 seasons, has revealed why he believes there are problems for Smith and his team.

Speaking in an Instagram post on his own account, he suggested that one of his successors, Brodie Croft, was finding it difficult to adapt.

He said: “I think Brodie Croft is struggling a bit. I think he has a lot of the same problems that Aiden (Sezer) had last year.

“I think Aiden and Brodie are both 80-85kg midfielders who base their game around a lot of their skills. Rowan likes to run halves.

“Matt Frawley, while he throws a dummy every now and then, isn’t half a run either.”

Leeds Rhinos are struggling, he continued

Credit: Imago Images

He went on to explain Smith’s idea of ​​how he wants the midfielders to operate: “Last year he wanted me to be involved a lot and I can float in and out of games so we were all for the idea.

“What he expects from his halves is to run the 40. He wants his halves to go through brick walls.

“Someone like Aiden and the current halves, they kind of struggle with that philosophy.”

He may improve his fortunes next year if he can bring in some players who better suit his style, but this is his second season with a different type of fly-half – if he wants to keep his job, he surely needs to adapt.

Finally, Blake Austin said of Smith: “Finally, I just want to say that Rohan is not the first coach to really struggle, you know from David Furner.”