Leeds Rhinos secured their first win of the season at the fourth attempt as a dominant first-half display earned them a 34-18 victory over Wakefield Trinity.
Leeds welcomed back three key players and all immediately showed their value – Harry Newman providing the assist for David Fusitu’a to open the scoring and Rhyse Martin adding the first of five goals.
The Rhinos were in control from the start, and ripped through Wakefield again with Morgan Gannon finishing a break down the left, before Newman finished a move to the other wing.
Ash Handley then made it a decisive 30-0 lead at the break with a try double, first benefitting from a dropped kick and then making an inside run through soft defence.
Trinity were at least able to make a better fist of it in the second half, scoring tries from Matty Ashurst and two late well-worked consolation efforts from Max Jowitt and Tom Johnstone.
But Handley completed his hat-trick with Leeds’ only second-half score as Richard Agar’s side got their season underway and left Wakefield still winless and waiting for theirs to begin.
Wakefield: 1 Max Jowitt, 2 Tom Johnstone, 13 Jay Pitts, 16 James Batchelor, 27 Lewis Murphy, 6 Jacob Miller, 7 Mason Lino, 15 Jai Whitbread, 24 Harry Bowes, 10 Tinirau Arona, 11 Matty Ashurst, 12 Kelepi Tanginoa, 14 Jordan Crowther. Subs: 8 Eddie Battye, 35 David Fifita, 22 Yusuf Aydin, 19 Liam Kay
Tries: Ashurst (51), Jowitt (78), Johnstone (80)
Goals: Jowitt 3
Leeds: 1 Jack Walker, 2 David Fusitu’a, 3 Harry Newman, 4 Liam Sutcliffe, 5 Ash Handley, 6 Blake Austin, 7 Aidan Sezer, 8 Mikolaj Oledzki, 9 Kruise Leeming, 10 Matt Prior, 21 Morgan Gannon, 12 Rhyse Martin, 13 Zane Tetevano. Subs: 14 Brad Dwyer, 17 Cameron Smith, 19 Bodene Thompson, 20 Tom Briscoe.
Tries: Fusitu’a (4), Gannon (8), Newman (15), Handley (30, 37, 62)
Goals: Martin 5
Sinbin: Leeming (66 – high tackle)
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