2017

When you thought that only phoenixes could rise from the ashes, well so do Rhinos. After 2016, very few thought the Rhinos could etch their names on the Super League trophy for a record eighth time until the final hooter sounded at Old Trafford.

The off season brought plenty of drama with Zak Hardaker making the transfer to Castleford Tigers on a month?s loan and James Segeyaro failing to return to training. Matt Parcell was drafted into Brian McDermott?s squad with only a month left in preseason as a replacement for Segeyaro and would produce a stand out debut season in the blue and amber. Jack Ormondroyd joined from Featherstone Rovers whilst five players made the step up from the Rhinos? academy throughout the campaign.

An opening fixture against St Helens at the Totally Wicked Stadium had all the elements to make it a classic opener. Instead defence ruled over attack with only a conversion separating the two sides. Joel Moon went in at the corner before Theo Fages sneaked through to give Saints a two-point lead that they would hold through to the final whistle.

Newly promoted Leigh Centurions looked to have also got a memorable result over the Rhinos after taking an 8-0 lead early on. Adam Cuthbertson, Ryan Hall and Jimmy Keinhorst restored an 8-17 lead that withstood a late fight back from the home side to win 17-14.

A six-point win over Salford in their first home game put Leeds into the top half of the table before a 66-10 drubbing at Castleford rocked the boat of the both the club and the league.

With a strong reply required, Leeds put big scores past Catalans and Wakefield on home turf. From tenth to fourth, the club was on the rise beating Huddersfield 28-12 before they met Wigan in round seven.

The match between the two sides draw big crowds and this night was no different with over 17,000 packed in for eighty minutes of raw competition. George Williams? early try was cancelled out by Ryan Hall before Leeds capitalised further thanks to Joel Moon. Kallum Watkins and Carl Ablett also crossed for Leeds to seal a 28-18 win.

An away loss to Warrington followed before Leeds pulled out a near perfect performance against Hull FC. Two tries for Joel Moon was the highlight as Leeds romped their way to a 52-24 win at the KCOM Stadium.

Big scores continued to build momentum for Leeds. First a 42-22 win over Widnes at Headingley saw Kallum Watkins, Joel Moon and Matt Parcell all score doubles before the club joined the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup. A round five tie with Doncaster looked a miss match on paper with a host of academy players included in the squad. Mikolaj Oledzki, Sam Hallas and Jack Walker all debuted for the club, with seventeen-year-old Walker becoming an instant hit with his hat trick. Burrow and Garbutt both scored doubles against the league one side and Oledzki also got his name on the growing score sheet on debut.

A final 64-28 scoreline was convincing but back in the league, Huddersfield caught the Rhinos napping at home to concede only their fourth defeat of the season.

Spring is hot in the south of France but Leeds managed to edge a result over Catalans. Liam Sutcliffe and Stevie Ward put Leeds to 16-12 at half time. With under 20 minutes left, 22-12 down, Adam Cuthbertson started what seemed an impossible fightback before Rob Burrow edged Leeds two points ahead. A Catalan penalty locked the scores at 24-24 and Danny McGuire sealed the game clincher with minutes remaining.

Barrow Raiders in the Challenge Cup sixth round provided more league one rivals for Leeds and they were as thorough as in round five. Eight scorers, with Joel Moon scoring a hat trick, contributed to a 72-10 victory and saw Leeds through to the quarter finals.

Magic Weekend is always a spectacle and remaining in the North East Leeds would meet Castleford. Going with the Marvel theme of Captain America, the Rhinos put up a good fight against the league leaders but came off second best. Kallum Watkins was the sole scorer for Leeds after 60 minutes until Joel Moon and Liam Sutcliffe closed the score to a reasonable 18-29.

Like in seasons past, Leeds always know how to bounce back from defeat and a meeting with strugglers Warrington Wolves was a perfect occasion for Leeds to gain some humility. Matt Parcell pulled out a man of the match performance, scoring three tries in a 40-00 routing. Liam Sutcliffe, Jamie Jones-Buchanan, Joel Moon and Rob Burrow also got on the scoresheet as the club pushed for a top three finish.

A defeat to Widnes and wins over Leigh and Wakefield led up to Leeds? Challenge Cup quarter final against Featherstone Rovers. The Championship side couldn?t halt the Rhinos as they were the second team to be nilled at Headingley in 2017. Stevie Ward, Brett Ferres, Joel Moon and Ash Handley put Leeds out to 22-0 lead before Carl Ablett and Liam Sutcliffe took lead beyond 30 points. Ash Handley and Brad Singleton both completed doubles and Ryan Hall dotted down to complete a 58-00 win.

Games weren?t getting easier for Leeds with a home match up against Castleford ending 12-23 before St Helens visited Headingley. Despite losing the lead early on, Joel Moon got a try back for Leeds. 6-4 leaders at half time, the Rhinos kicked on with Stevie Ward bouncing over. The Rhinos went down again 12-16 before Watkins and Hall put the lead out to 24-16. Despite a late effort from Walmsley, Leeds won 24-22.

A 50-24 win over Salford pushed Leeds up to second in the table behind Castleford and a 10-7 win over Hull FC a week later solidified their place in the playoffs. A final league trip to Wigan ended 34-0 with the Leeds side giving debuts to academy players Harry Newman, Alex Sutcliffe and Harvey Whiteley.

A Challenge Cup semi-final awaited at Doncaster?s Keepmoat with Hull FC the opponents to Leeds. Ryan Hall cancelled out a Mark Minichielllo score. Hall was in again off a Watkins kick, but Hull were in control at 18-12. Watkins and Golding were the only scorers in the second half as Hull ran riot to go through to Wembley as 43-24 winners.

Yet again, Leeds proved how to bounce back from defeat with an opening Super 8s win over Wigan at Headingley. Stevie Ward opened the scoring early on before Ashton Golding took a bouncing grubber kick to take Leeds lead out to 10-0. Two scores by Tom Davies locked the scores up but Golding secured his second try off a Ryan Hall break. Matt Parcell and two more tries by Stevie Ward sealed a confident 32-16 win.

A 38-06 loss to Wakefield Trinity was overshadowed by a two-point win over St Helens and a 38-26 win over Hull FC on home soil. Tries from Rob Burrow, Brad Singleton, Liam Sutcliffe, Mitch Garbutt, Adam Cuthbertson and Matt Parcell saw the Rhinos continue to hold second place.

An away loss to Castleford and two wins against Salford and Huddersfield sealed Leeds? chance to reach the Grand Final, with Hull FC once again semi final opponents. With the ?45 million redevelopment of Emerald Headingley underway, Leeds would fittingly send club legends Danny McGuire and Rob Burrow back to Old Trafford one last time with a 18-16 win. Stevie Ward gave Leeds the lead, scoring his tenth of the season, before Anthony Mullally put the score out to 12-0. Gareth Ellis, who would be retiring at the end of the season, marked his final game at Headingley with a try with Mahe Fonua putting the score at 12-10. Sika Manu looked to have won the game for Hull but a late drive by Liam Sutcliffe sent the Rhinos to their tenth Grand Final in the Super League era. HeHHonly yhr

The Rhinos would meet Castleford, who had beaten St Helens by a point in extra time, in a Grand Final that couldn?t be predicted. Would it be the season?s form side that had beaten the Rhinos four times in 2017 or would experience on the grandest stage prevail? The dropping of influential full back Zak Hardaker as the club investigated a ?breach of club rules? overshadowed the build up to the game, with Hardaker later being suspended after testing positive for drugs. The match itself saw Leeds dominate for the majority, keeping Castleford scoreless for nearly the full eighty minutes. Doubles for Tom Briscoe and Danny McGuire, who also kicked two drop goals, sent both McGuire and Burrow out on a high, claiming the Super League trophy for an eighth time in the modern era.

Post season, with the World Cup in Australia, Leeds had two players selected for England. Ryan Hall and Kallum Watkins played in all but one of England?s matches throughout the competition, including the final in Brisbane. Brad Singleton and Anthony Mullally were also selected for the Ireland squad. Danny McGuire signed for Hull KR on a two-year deal and Rob Burrow took up the role of Leeds Rhinos academy head coach.