Kevin Sinfield insists Leeds are on the right path despite their place in the top eight being put in further jeopardy following their draw with Wakefield.
The Rhinos put in a drastically improved performance against Wakefield but ultimately surrendered a 14-point lead, leaving them three points adrift of the top eight with just two games remaining.
Leeds will have to beat Widnes and Salford to have any hope of a top-eight spot, and hope one of Catalans, Wakefield or Huddersfield fail to win in their final two matches.
But despite the threat of another stint in the Qualifiers, Sinfield believes there are positives to take.
“The big message from me is the players responded,” Sinfield said.
“They’ve shown me they’re hungry, I’ve mentioned quite a bit about the spirit and the values of the Rhinos. They’ve shown me they want to grab hold of some of that and make us a force again.
“There are some real positives from tonight. Me and Jimmy were buoyed by some of the things we saw tonight but we’re just not quite ready to win tonight. I don’t think the boys got what they deserved at the end but it’s cruel at times. Hopefully they keep believing in the trip we’re on. On that showing, big picture stuff, we are on track and we can fix this up.”
He added: “Mathematically it’s still possible. Whether we make it or not, the big picture is we’re on the right track and I can take comfort from what I saw tonight.”
