Leeds Rhinos coach Brian McDermott admitted that while he was pleased with his side’s defensive efforts against Leigh on Friday night, he was not happy with the way they played with ball in hand.
The Rhinos won 17-14 to pick up their first win of the season at Leigh Sports Village, but McDermott insisted he still wasn’t satisfied with the amount of times his team turned over possessoin.
“I’m pretty pleased and proud of the defensive effort we showed in the second half but disappointed with what we did with the ball and how many times we turned it over, probably in the most cheapest fashion I’ve seen,” McDermott said.
“There was error after error which is clearly not going to get us too far this year.
“But I know from experience that you can correct those things within a matter of days. What you can’t put into a team is the toughness and steel you need to be to go through those tough periods.
“Leigh are a very good attacking team and, while we did invite them into the game, they certainly took up the invite and challenged us with some good plays.”
McDermott was pleased that his side did not panic after conceding two early tries and also said that he was relieved to have his captain back.
“Leigh were great and came out of the blocks,” he added. “We weren’t doing that much wrong and the composure we showed at 8-0 down was good.
“Brad Singleton was outstanding and I thought Adam Cuthbertson was the difference, he started a lot of good things for us.
“Danny McGuire looked sharp and keen, it was good to have him in the team.”