Leeds Rhinos Special Report: Sinfield calls the shots as Rhinos seek to return to top of the game

You would be forgiven for thinking otherwise glancing at the Super League table; Friday’s home loss to Hull KR leaves the club he has helped mould into a modern giant just two points adrift of the relegation place with only seven games remaining.

Leeds have won eight Grand Finals since the Castlefordian took over the floundering club in 1996 with Paul Caddick and helped resurrect it with magnificent results.

Granted, they are dicing with disaster at the moment but Hetherington remains unperturbed.

This is the third time in four years since their historic treble success that they have been at the wrong end of the table.

It has been an arduous four years but he has remained stoic throughout, firm in the belief that they will return to become consistent top-end challengers once more.

“It’s not actually been four years in reality,” Hetherington told The Yorkshire Post.

“We had a really difficult nine months in 2016 but we won the Grand Final the following year and only Castleford won more Super League games than us.

“But the last 15 months has been the most disappointing and difficult in the 23 years since I’ve been here.

“It was a mess in 1996 but there was only one way to go from there. This has been different. But I am confident there is better to come.

“We are going through a transition but eight of the England Academy squad that beat Australia last year all play for Leeds Rhinos; this is the best crop we have had for 15 years.

“I’m confident we can finish this season strongly and challenge again next year.

“There’s always things you could have done better in hindsight. But my philosophy has always been that you have got to experience the tough times to appreciate the good days.

“As long as you learn from your mistakes. And I think I do.

“But also the appointment of Kevin Sinfield will grow to be a very significant one to position Leeds Rhinos among the leading clubs for many years to come.”

Sinfield’s name is on everybody’s lips. Having captained Leeds to seven of those titles, making more than 500 appearances and leading them through their greatest-ever period, the former England captain and Golden Boot winner is a Blue and Amber legend.

After leaving at the end of 2015, signing off with that Treble, the club has never truly got near filling the void he left on the field.

Still, his return to Headingley last July as Rhinos’ first director of rugby was made with the remit of overhauling the rugby department and getting the club back on track for the long-term following head coach Brian McDermott’s sacking.

Clearly, it has not been an easy task; Sinfield appointed Australian Dave Furner – a team-mate when Leeds won their first Grand Final in 2004 – on a three-year deal but sacked him after just 14 games of his reign.

But who now does what at Headingley, between Hetherington and Sinfield?

Who, for instance, leads the recruitment?

“For the last 23 years, all rugby-related decisions and issues and management of the rugby has been entirely the domain of myself and the head coach,” explained Hetherington.

“So it’s not an area our board of directors engaged in, or anybody else at the club.

“In all that time, managing the rugby league department has been one of my responsibilities.

“That has included all aspects from junior player development right through all the community work we do – the Leeds Rhinos Foundation and the Rugby League development plan for Leeds to the academy, scholarship and into the first team. More lately, I’ve taken on responsibility for the women’s game. I am now gradually handing over all of those responsibilities over a period of time to Kevin Sinfield.

“Some that have already been handed over are all staff appointments. Kevin’s day-to-day involvement with the rugby league department is much closer than mine has ever been.

“By coming in when he did in July, he got a bird’s eye view of everything and one that I would never have to be honest, as I’ve never been as close as he is now.

“So Kevin is responsible for all the budget control in the rugby department and all player recruitment, retention and remuneration.

“He’s also taken on other responsibilities and eventually he will assume responsibility for all aspects of the rugby league department.

“As chief exec of any organisation, I still have a role to play but that role now is more one of a supporting one.

“I will always give Kevin my opinion.

“But at the end of the day the judgment call has now been transferred to him.

“It would have to be something very exceptional for me not to back Kevin Sinfield’s recommendation.”

Tellingly, he did back that decision to remove Furner.

Hetherington, meanwhile, is 66 but there is no talk of retirement even with Sinfield’s growing involvement.

“I’ve had a good innings so far and with the stadium development almost complete I have so many other challenges in our business to occupy me,”he maintained.

“Our vision for Leeds Rhinos is to build an organisation which is much more than a rugby league club and I believe we are along the path. We’re not necessarily achieving it – you never achieve it in its entirety – but we are moving in that general direction.

“We are now a club that really embraces the community in a big way. We’re a very diverse business – we have a hotel on site, a huge conference and banqueting provision – and we operate 365 days a year.

“The Leeds Rhinos Netball team will be entering the Netball Superleague from 2021 and there is so much to occupy my time.

“Rugby league has been a huge part of my life so far, still is and always will be.

“But as someone who has been involved in sport as long as I have, one of the attributes you have to try and gain is gauging when players are losing the energy and the passion for their performance.

“That happens and it’s a judgment call. It’s something I think I’ve developed over time; making the right call for the right player.

“I think I can generally read those lines accurately with both players and coaches. But I also have to apply it to myself as well.

“I can gauge my own levels of energy, enthusiasm and passion and if I felt they were coming to their own natural end I’d be the first to recognise that.

“But I don’t believe that is the case and I won’t be putting any time limit on myself for that matter.”

Leeds Rhinos - a half-decade of ups and downs

2015: Leeds Rhinos win the treble – Super League title, League Leaders’ Shield and Challenge Cup - for the first time. Key players Kevin Sinfield, Jamie Peacock and Kylie Leuluai all retire from the sport.

2016: Club win just three of their opening 19 games of the season. They have to fight for safety in the Qualifiers where they win six from seven matches to stave off the threat of relegation.

2017: Leeds finish second in the table behind runaway Castleford Tigers but beat the league leaders at Old Trafford to reclaim the title. Legendary players Danny McGuire and Rob Burrow both sign off as champions again.

2018: Rhinos suffer another miserable campaign and, on the back of an unprecedented seven successive league defeats, five-times Grand Final winning coach Brian McDermott is sacked in July. Sinfield returns to the club as director of rugby and Jimmy Lowes becomes head coach until the end of the season when Leeds again survive via the Qualifiers.

2019: Rhinos appoint Dave Furner as head coach but he is sacked after just 14 games and Richard Agar takes over as interim head coach. They show signs of improvement but are left 10th with just seven games remaining.