Hetherington thanks fans for continued support of team

Leeds Rhinos Chief Executive Gary Hetherington has praised the club's loyal supporters as Rohan Smith’s side prepare for the season run in ahead of the Betfred Super League play offs. 

The Rhinos enjoyed a hard-earned win against Warrington Wolves on Sunday which attracted a crowd of 15,166, the highest attendance for this fixture since the opening day of the 2016 season when the then treble-winning Rhinos opened their campaign. Leeds are also set to record the highest average attendance since the redevelopment of Headingley Stadium with the eleven Super League games so far this season being watched by an average of 13,773.  

Sunday's game was the first-ever triple header with the Rhinos Womens team getting back to winning ways against Warrington whilst the Reserves had a narrow loss against the same opponent. The fixture was also the club’s annual Family Day with the marketing drive specifically tailored to families with a Sunday afternoon fixture created during the school summer holidays and built on the success of last year's fixture against Salford, which set a ten-year high attendance for a home game against the Red Devils. 

Commenting on the Rhinos support Hetherington said, "Firstly, on behalf of all our players and staff I would like to say thank you to our fans for their continued support. For our mens team, it has been a tough season so far and it is fair to say the team have not delivered what we hoped and expected at the start of the season. But all the players here now are united to finish the season strongly and we face five crucial games as we look to secure a play off spot, starting at Huddersfield Giants on Sunday. 

"Our Academy continues to develop outstanding young players and our womens and wheelchair teams both made it to their respective Challenge Cup Finals with squads that are also developing following a period of success in recent years.

"We really do appreciate the support from all our fans and sponsors and the atmosphere yesterday was terrific. Whilst the victory was very welcome, it does not alter our challenge to improve our squad for next season. I do understand the frustrations of our fans in terms of our recruitment but they can be assured that there is a lot going on behind the scenes to create a squad full of talented and very committed players, which is what Rohan Smith is striving for. We are making sure that we get not just the right player but also the right person to take us forward next season and, just as importantly, in the years ahead," added Hetherington.