FOLLOWING Tony Smith’s exit from Hull FC, his nephew Rohan remains very much under the microscope at Leeds.
Their situation isn’t quite as extreme as Hull’s, but I can’t believe the movers and shakers at Headingley are completely confident in the so-called project proving a success.
If it’s not texts from my mates, it’s people when I’m out and about in the city stopping me and asking me what’s going on.
Just as Gary Neville wonders what style and systems Manchester United are trying to play under Erik ten Hag, many of us think it’s impossible to tell what type of team the Rhinos are under Rohan.
Are they a good defending team, a good attacking team, a consistent team, or a team with some outstanding quality?
They are not really any of those, and while we see fleeting glimpses of something, nothing is clear on a regular basis.
The results reflect that. Other than that win over Catalans, there has been no stand-out scoreline.
Warrington didn’t have to play particularly well to gain that 34-8 win at Headingley in round seven, and being eighth in the league and out of the Challenge Cup before the quarter-finals is not good enough.
The halfback situation is still not sorted and Brodie Croft seems to be struggling to handle the pressure of wearing number six for Leeds.
It’s a bit like the number-nine shirt at Newcastle United. It comes with high expectations and not all players can deal with that.
Can Rohan Smith deal with the high demands of the Leeds job? Time will tell.
It’s Huddersfield at home next, and I foresee an away win by seven.
Friday’s other fixtures (and again, why is there no match on Thursday?) are likely one-sided showdowns between Wigan and Castleford (I’m going the Warriors by 56) and St Helens and Hull (Saints by 42 points in my book).
The other trio of games are on Saturday, and I see Salford triumphing by 32 at London, Warrington by 14 at home to Leigh and Catalans by 16 in what should be an entertaining tussle with Hull KR in Perpignan.
