Leeds Rhinos v Leigh Leopards: Brad Arthur wants visitors to dance to his side's tune in crucial clash

At the crux of Arthur's frustration was Leeds' attitude, which has been the bedrock of their resurgence.

The task now is to prove that the loss was merely a blip and not the start of a slide.

"You've got to be careful with that word 'attitude' because it can mean so many things," said Arthur ahead of Friday's home clash with fellow play-off hopefuls Leigh Leopards.

"I think our attitude to the game was more reactionary. It's not like we didn't want to win and went there with the wrong attitude; the attitude towards how we wanted to get the job done was not the same attitude that we had in the previous games.

"Our attitude has been around frontloading our effort, going after the game and being the dictator instead of being dictated to.

"They came in on Monday for our review a bit sheepish and down on energy. That’s a good thing. I would rather see them hurting and being disappointed rather than just sweeping it under the carpet."

Leeds' first defeat in six games opened the door for the Leopards, who duly beat Catalans Dragons in Perpignan to record a third straight victory.

The result lifted the Leopards above the Rhinos into third place, leaving Arthur's men glancing nervously at the chasing pack.

A win this week would strengthen Leeds' position in the top four but Arthur is more concerned with rediscovering the traits that fuelled their recent surge.

"We're back at home and the two points are really important – but we haven't focused on that," he said.

"We've focused on being comfortable and happy that our performance is what we want from a Leeds Rhinos team.

"The result last week was disappointing but it was more around the performance. We want to make sure we don't see that again.

"Sometimes our performance could be really good and it might not be good enough to win the game but that's our priority, certainly being back at home in front of a supportive crowd."

Ahead of the trip to Saints, Arthur said his players know that "if they don't quite nail their job or come with the wrong attitude, there are plenty of blokes underneath them that want their position". However, he has given the bulk of last week's team the opportunity to show it was simply a bad day at the office.

"The accountability has still got to be there and we're not accepting that performance," said Arthur, who has the likes of Andy Ackers, Jack Sinfield and Alfie Edgell in reserve. "But I don't think I need to panic yet.

"Our performance last week was reactionary-based. We were looking for a soft win – reacting to how they played and not frontloading how we wanted to play.

"It's a tough lesson to learn but the priority is to make sure our response is good."

It is shaping up as a crucial period for the Rhinos.

Leeds travel to leaders Hull KR and play-off contenders Wakefield Trinity either side of home games against St Helens and Salford Red Devils.

True to form, though, Arthur is not looking beyond the first of two dates with the high-flying Leopards.

"They move the ball well," he said.

"They play a lot of footy, back themselves and have a pretty well-balanced team. Their forwards carry the ball strong, they move the ball well and have got some speed and power on the edges.

"They are pretty healthy, nearly at full strength, so it's a good challenge for both teams. The win is important for both teams this week."