Kevin Sinfield conceded that there is lots of work to be done at Leeds after his first game in charge ended in a heavy defeat.
Any hopes of a honeymoon period were brought to an abrupt halt as the Rhinos ended up on the wrong side of a 42-10 defeat to Castleford.
Sinfield and James Lowes watched on as the Rhinos come out second best, with this defeat leaving them two points adrift of the top eight with just three games remaining.
It was a disappointing defeat for the Rhinos, and although Sinfield found some positives, he admitted the performance had left him under no illusions as to the enormity of the challenge ahead.
“I’ve got the full picture now,” he said.
“I know exactly where we’re at, we started to change some small things the last couple of days and we’ll continue with that.
“I knew it was a big job otherwise Brian would still be here. There’s a bit to do. We’ve got to make some small changes and we probably have to start doing the tough stuff a bit more.
“We’ve got to make some changes, we’re ninth for a reason, we’ve got to be better.”
Despite suffering defeat, Sinfield admitted that the early stages of his new role had been enjoyable, and had left him fully aware of what needed to be done.
“I think personnel wise we’ve got who we’ve got and I believe there’s enough talent in that group to make a fist of things, especially until the end of the year.
“I don’t want to say too much but we just need to make some small changes to the way we operate. We’ll be far better off when we do that.
“I have to say Jimmy Lowes has been outstanding. I have enjoyed the last couple of days, I didn’t enjoy those 80 minutes but I have the full picture now, I know exactly where we’re at. Previously
“I’ve been sat looking from afar as an outsider and I’m right in the middle looking at them now. As I’ve alluded to, we’ve got to make some small changes and hopefully they’ll add up to some big changes on the field.”
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