Leeds Rhinos legend Barrie McDermott has touted Brad Arthur and Jason Demetriou as potential successors to Rohan Smith – but insists Salford boss Paul Rowley is the best man for the job.
Following Smith’s voluntary departure from Headingley on Wednesday, the eight-time Super League winners are in the process of hiring a new head coach. Smith had been in the position for little over two years.
Former prop McDermott thinks some of the hate directed at Smith in the last days of his tenure went too far. McDermott led the Rhinos to their first league title in thirty-two years when they defeated the Bradford Bulls in the 2004 Super League Grand Final.
“It was a leftfield appointment when Rohan Smith was appointed-but he definitely made a difference when he came in,” the Sky Sports analyst said to Love Rugby League.
The Rhinos made it to the Grand Final in 2022 and appeared to be a formidable team. They didn’t pick any steam after that, and eventually it seemed inevitable that Rohan would depart.
It wasn’t a question of if, but rather when, and I sympathise with Rohan because things haven’t turned out the way he had hoped. When everything came together and he was able to play the game the way he wanted to, it was a really creative style.
“I observe that while teams like Salford and Leigh attempt to play similarly, their success rate is higher than that of the Rhinos. We were all disappointed because when something went wrong, it went horribly wrong as a Rhinos fan.
Smith’s final game in command was last week’s humiliating 18-10 loss at Hull FC, which sparked a heated outcry on the terraces.
“It appeared that not only the supporters but also the players donning the Leeds jersey had lost faith in the way that Rohan wanted to play,” McDermott continued.I saw some inappropriate content on social media, but that’s just the way the world works. Good man Rohan gave it his all and arrived
However, there hasn’t been much of a change in rugby league play in a while, so trying to change that would be a significant step. Teams like Wigan and St Helens win games in diverse ways by combining their toughness and entertaining factor.
Short kickoffs, quick trick plays, and shortcuts are not things that should form the cornerstone of your strategy. Although losing one’s job is never easy, Leeds Rhinos is one of the major clubs in the British game, in my opinion.
“The expectations there are very high because they’re not just expected to be in finals but to win finals.
“Leeds brought in a number of significant signings during the off-season which led me to believe they could certainly be a top-six team but maybe a top-four side. Yet they look absolutely nowhere near that.”
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