Dave Craven: Desperate Leeds Rhinos struggle to find answers

That, of course, is the dramatic decline of treble-winning Leeds Rhinos whose title defence has begun in truly catastrophic fashion.

It seems unthinkable that such a distinguished club could be in such a state whereby they have lost seven of their opening nine league games.

Throw in the sobering World Club Challenge defeat to North Queensland Cowboys and that makes eight from 10.

Granted, we are still yet to reach a third of the way through the season, but some people are wondering whether unrecognisable Leeds’s hopes of reaching the top four are already over.

I feel that is a little premature but, nevertheless, it is imperative they win at Salford on Saturday or it will fast become reality.

So what is at the root of such a champion side’s obvious deterioration?

There are a number of factors, chiefly a savage injury list which has blighted them so far and caused plenty of disruption.

That said, many of their rivals have faced similar predicaments and dealt with them more comfortably. Furthermore, for all Leeds did have six senior players still missing for Friday’s awful 
30-10 loss against Hull KR, they also named six England internationals and a front-row made up entirely of NRL signings.

It is understandable, then, why that emphatic defeat, at home against a depleted side that had only won once beforehand this season, created such a maelstrom of negative conjecture.

It was as bad a performance as there has been at Headingley for some time and on the back of also losing there to struggling Wakefield Trinity last Monday and at Castleford four days earlier it combined to create a calamitous Easter for Brian McDermott’s side.

Rarely has a Leeds side in the Super League era looked as blunt with the ball in hand, illustrated by the fact they have averaged just 16 points per game so far. Last year, they were averaging twice as many by this stage on their way to the League Leaders’ Shield. It seems implausible given they still have players of the attacking calibre of Zak Hardaker, Kallum Watkins and Joel Moon.

However, even world-class operators like that triumvirate will stagnate if they are bereft of confidence and that, it seems, is a significant issue, too; Leeds have lost their swagger.

A series of narrow defeats – five of the seven have come by just four points or fewer – have combined to leave them asking questions of themselves and the cumulative effect was highlighted in that debacle against Rovers.

Having recovered from 20-0 down on the hour to get to 
20-10, the Leeds of old would have surged in the final minutes, but here they wilted, their new-found frailties of poor ball control and tepid defence haunting them.

Losing that legendary trio of Kevin Sinfield, Jamie Peacock and Kylie Leuluai ahead of 2016 was always going to be testing.

Sinfield’s organisation and goalkicking – Leeds have lost four games this year where they have scored the same number of tries as their rivals but fewer conversions – speaks for itself.

The added problem, though, is his long-term replacement, the youngster Luke Sutcliffe, has taken over just as he is recovering from a knee reconstruction, with partner Danny McGuire essentially missing until last Friday due to his own injury issues.

Sutcliffe, ordinarily, would need a few months to get back to his best after such an injury, but Leeds do not have that time. Peacock and Leuluai, meanwhile, were stalwarts and leading props.

New signings Keith Galloway and Anthony Mullally have failed to meet their predecessors’ high standards and, therefore, Rhinos have struggled to lay platforms.

In Leeds’s defence, their training base being flooded since Boxing Day has brought logistical issues that cannot be under-estimated and captain McGuire’s retun should now improve them.

McDermott, the club’s most successful coach, is unlikely to see his job threatened yet given his previous bank of fine work.

Nevertheless, he knows he has to restore confidence soon and find a win or 2016 could descend into unprecedented chaos.