Inevitably, the last seven days have been dominated by talk of who should succeed Richard Agar as coach of Leeds, who, let’s be honest, are a club in crisis.
Three years ago, Kevin Sinfield described the problems at the Rhinos as “deep-rooted”, adding: “The place has been rotten and it’s been left to erode.”
Supporters must be wondering what has been done to address that situation, and if making the play-off semi-finals last year simply papered over the cracks.
We’re not even at the end of March, and Saturday’s grim Challenge Cup defeat by Castleford, coming after just one win in six Super League matches and with a visit from St Helens looming, has left their season in a complete mess.
For me, there’s one clear choice as new coach, and I think he would certainly appeal to the fans, who are rightly fed up with the current situation.
That was reflected by an attendance of just over 5,000 for the Castleford clash, and they are clearly voting with their feet.
Ellery Hanley is the man I’d choose, and I’d do everything possible to prise Danny McGuire from Hull KR and instal him as joint assistant with Jamie Jones-Buchanan.
What a great combination that would be.
Ellery, of course, has already been handed the reins of the Combined Nations All Stars for their Test against England at Warrington in June.
That’s only a short-term post, but it shows he’s ready for a return to coaching.
And boy, would he bring a lot to the table at Headingley.
Some people say he’s too old and has been away from the scene for too long.
I say rubbish!
Wayne Bennett will be 73 when he leads the Dolphins into the NRL next year while John Kear is 67 and still working with Bradford and Wales.
Ellery has just turned 61 (a belated happy birthday to my old Leeds and Great Britain teammate) and has a great knowledge of both the game and the club.
He also has a top coaching CV, having guided Great Britain to victory over Australia at Wembley in 1994, St Helens to the Super League title in 1999 and Doncaster to promotion from National League Two in 2008.
Yes, those achievements came a while ago, but I know Ellery keeps up with things, and neither his personality nor his presence have diminished.
He’s a born winner who demands the best from this around him, but also inspires them.
The one stumbling block could be that he would want control over the rugby and recruitment side of the operation, but he and Gary Hetherington know each other and have worked together previously.
It’s too soon for either JJB or Dany McGuire to take on the top job at a club of Leeds’ size and stature, particularly given their current plight and the urgent need to turn the sinking ship around.
But working alongside Ellery would give them experience and when the time comes, we’d see which of them would be best equipped to take over.
While I’d dispense with the services of Sean Long, I’m pleased Richie will be staying at Leeds, because while the time is right for a change of role, he still has a lot to offer.
Going back to the end of last season, when he’d taken Leeds to the play-off semi-finals, you wouldn’t have suspected he’d be the first coaching casualty of the current Super League campaign.
As I wrote last week, I think the Leeds players have to take a long, hard look at themselves, because while Richie typically took the blame as he spoke about his decision to step down, I think he has been badly let down.
Normally you get a reaction when there’s a coaching change, but that didn’t happen on Saturday, and I don’t think you can blame JJB given he had so little time to work with the squad and get his ideas across.
Too many players seem to be in the comfort zone – I wouldn’t give any of them above one out of ten against Castleford, and they only get that for turning up and putting the shirt on, even if they failed to show it any respect – and whoever takes over must change that mentality.
It might not be a quick fix, and if it means players being shown the door amid root and branch reform, so be it.
It goes without saying that Leeds can’t afford to remain around the relegation zone, and they must start picking up wins.
They’ll get no sympathy from Saints on Friday, and it’s a massive test of character.
I can’t see these players passing it, and I’m going Saints to win by 32.
Castleford are below Leeds in the table, and their clash with basement side Toulouse, also on Friday, is another big game.
There have been definite signs of improvement of late, and I thought the whole side deserved eight out of ten at Headingley, where Lee Radford looked a relieved man as the tries flowed.
Toulouse produced a terrific performance to beat Saints last time out and will have had the benefit of a break from action, but I think Castleford have turned a corner and will win by 28.
Wigan improving
Wigan were very professional in their Challenge Cup win over Salford and given their rich history of success in the Challenge Cup, they will be desperate to make the final for the first time since 2017.
Down at Wembley that year. they lost out to Hull, who are their visitors in Super League on Thursday, and I reckon we’ve got an interesting game on the cards.
Matt Peet seems to be getting their defence in order, and it looks like being a tight affair, with Wigan to win by seven.
I can see Huddersfield successful by the same margin at home to Catalans on Friday, while I’m tipping wins by eight for Hull KR against Warrington on Friday and Wakefield against Salford on Sunday.
Championship clubs do themselves proud
The Challenge Cup provided another sign of the strength of the Championship, and it looked like a great occasion when St Helens visited Whitehaven, where there were 4,869, apparently including around 1,000 travelling fans, in attendance.
It was a great chance for Cumbrians to see some of our game’s best players, including one of their own in prop Kyle Amor, in the flesh, and hopefully they will have enjoyed watching their hometown team and will be back at the Recreation Ground again.
It finished 46-4, but I’m told Whitehaven gave a good account of themselves, and it seems like Leigh did the same away to Hull KR and Featherstone against Catalans in France.
Those two, of course, are the favourites to make the Million Pound Game and go head-to-head for a place in Super League, and Saturday’s results showed they have some solid foundations in place.
And let’s not forget there’s the 1895 Cup, and another route to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on May 28, to come for the five second-tier sides who made round six of the Challenge Cup.
