'Special team': Cameron Smith convinced Leeds Rhinos will prove Super League credentials in round one

The Rhinos have had an inauspicious start to the year after suffering Grand Final heartbreak at the hands of St Helens last September.

Rohan Smith's men lost three of their four first-team friendlies and head into the new Super League season without several influential players, including Harry Newman and Mikolaj Oledzki.

Smith used pre-season to experiment after opting to play the long game at the start of his first full campaign in charge.

Long-serving forward Cameron Smith believes it was the right approach.

"They're called trials for a reason," said the 24-year-old ahead of Thursday's season opener at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.

"If you're looking too much into the trials, I think that's the wrong way to go. That's not going to decide how your season goes.

"We took a different approach to most teams in terms of giving people what they need and playing players in different positions because it will pay you back through the year.

"Getting the conditioning and collision stuff is what we needed. Our rugby league will be ready.

"My approach going into round one is I'm really excited. We've got a really special team. The past friendlies we've played won't determine how we approach round one. It's a different mission."

Rohan Smith took over midway through last season and worked wonders with a squad that was on its knees towards the end of Richard Agar's reign.

The new coach bounce took the Rhinos all the way to Old Trafford before they eventually succumbed to the all-conquering Saints.

Pre-season has allowed Smith to reshape the squad and put his stamp on the club.

"It's been a long and intense pre-season, which is what we needed, and really detailed," said Cameron Smith.

"It's good that Rohan has had some time to spend with us because obviously he came in halfway through the year and didn't really get chance to put his system in place; it was more about working with what he had at the time.

"He's been given a chance to put his own twist on things. The key of this pre-season is we've spent a lot of time together. Growing that trust and team mentality has been really good."

The Grand Final loss to St Helens extended Leeds' wait for a first Super League title since 2017, a night which saw Danny McGuire and Rob Burrow line up for the Rhinos for the final time.

The transition from the golden generation has taken longer than anybody at Headingley would have hoped, but Cameron Smith is convinced the eight-time champions are on the way back up after benefiting from a full pre-season under Rohan Smith.

"It's just the detail of the way our sessions are run,” he said. “We have a specific goal for each week.

"It's probably more of a culture thing than a coaching thing. Even though Rohan is a really detailed coach and knows what he wants from each individual, the way we've grown the culture this pre-season has been the main change."