Leeds head coach Brian McDermott has put emphasis on his side putting on a good display against Huddersfield tonight, but has admitted that his side needs to win.
The Rhinos will move off the bottom of Super League if they defeat Huddersfield Giants tonight, who are also currently without a victory this season.
And McDermott admits that it is important to register their first win of the year tonight.
“We need to win, we want to win, there’s no doubt about that,” he told TotalRL.
“But at the same time we need to play well. I think if you look at all three games, Widnes apart, we’ve played against Warrington, North Queensland Cowboys and Catalans, I thought there were periods when we were very good. Emotionally to pick ourselves up off the canvas after being 24-6 down at one stage, to get back into the game and be in a position where we could have one the game shows that the boys have some minerals that the fellas have got.
“At the same time there’s been some periods during those games where we’re not living in the game as it gets more intense. Playing well and defending well is my biggest priority at the moment.”
The two teams have engaged in a number of memorable battles in recent years, albeit the fixture has become renowned as a top of the table clash rather than a basement battle.
For McDermott, the opportunity to re-engage with the Giants is something he is looking forward to.
“The Giants are a good team and have been for a while now.
“They’ve been a top four team for the last few years and they’ve had some great wins against us, and just recently we’ve had some great wins against them. It certainly is a rivalry and it’s a big occasion on Friday night.”
