2003

After the disappointment of the previous campaign, there was little pressure on the Rhinos at the start of Super League VIII however it was the start of a new era, a golden one that began with heartache in what was ultimately to be Daryl Powell?s last in charge of the club.

Leeds had recruited shrewdly but not spectacularly in the close season with the departing experience of Sheridan, Hay, Fleary and Pratt replaced by Chris Feather from Wakefield, Andrew Dunemann from Halifax and Dave Furner and Gary Connolly from Wigan, who were both in the Autumn of their careers.

However, a statement of intent came with the promotion of the young stars from the clubs academy to senior position. At the top was new skipper Kevin Sinfield with Danny McGuire, Rob Burrow, Richard Mathers, Jamie Jones-Buchanan, Ryan Bailey, Danny Ward, Matt Diskin and Chev Walker all becoming mainstays of the first team.

The season kicked off with a big home win over Whitehaven in the Cup before Mark Calderwood inspired Leeds to victory over Widnes with a hat trick in the 32-12 win. On paper, March looked a tough month with five games including two rounds of the Cup. Keith Senior inspired Leeds to victory over London in the Fifth Round of the Cup before a big win at home against Hull in the Cup Quarter Final. Those wins were book-ended by victories over Warrington and Huddersfield at home. Calderwood scored his second hat trick of the season in the win over the Giants which was also significant as it signalled the day that Kevin Sinfield took over from Dave Furner as first choice kicker. The perfect month was capped by a hard earned win at Halifax.

Leeds then faced back to back games against St Helens in the league and then the Cup semi final. The eagerly anticipated clash between the sides at Knowsley Road saw top v second go head to head in a classic clash. The result was decided by two spectacular tries from contrasting sources. Keith Senior was quickest to react to a ball that bounced off a Saints attacker?s head onto the crossbar and into his arms before racing 90 metres to score, then Wayne McDonald scored the greatest try of his career as he broke clear inside his own half, threw a dummy and just kept on going. That set up the following week?s semi final perfectly. Saints were the Cup Kings who had knocked Leeds out of the Cup at the final hurdle in the previous two years whilst the Rhinos were the nearly men. It made for one of the greatest games ever as Danny McGuire scored in the final second to put his side two points behind and gave Kevin Sinfield a touchline conversion to take the game into extra time. There was still drama to come but when Sinfield broke clear on half way to feed McGuire, history was written.

Leeds beat Castleford the following week to maintain their unbeaten start to the season, via a drop goal from Dunemann described by his Head Coach as the ?ugliest? he had ever seen. The unbeaten Rhinos headed to Cardiff in confident mood to take on Bradford but it was not to be.