'In control of our own destiny': Leeds Rhinos boss Rohan Smith assesses play-off chances after tense win

The Rhinos rode their luck in a tense clash at Headingley that will be best remembered for Matt Dufty fumbling the ball with the tryline begging on the final play.

Leeds were outplayed by the out-of-form Wolves but dug deep to keep their top-six hopes alive.

After seeing Hull KR, Hull FC and Huddersfield Giants all lose earlier in the round, the Rhinos are just two points adrift of the play-off positions with five matches remaining.

"We just had to win," said Smith.

"It's too soon to update my scores on a Friday or Saturday to see what's going on in the other games. There are too many rounds to go and too many twists and turns to come.

"We've just got to control the controllables. I'd say mathematically that we're still in control of our own destiny but it's one mission at a time.

"We're on to Huddersfield now. It's critical we play well next week."

The Rhinos had lost their previous three games by a combined 12 points to continue a theme of their season but came out on the right side of a close match against a play-off rival with their season on the line.

In a campaign blighted by injuries and personnel issues - not least the recent departure of key half-back Blake Austin - Smith has seen enough to leave him hopeful of another late-season surge.

“We’ve had a lot of distractions this year but what I respect of the crew in that room at the moment is they are not looking to use them as excuses at any point,” said Smith, who led the Rhinos to the 2022 Grand Final against the odds.

“They’re just getting on with it. If anything the group is pulling tighter together. We’ve been in the trenches a lot this year and are going to need that resilience and that togetherness next week at Huddersfield.”