Survival now Rhinos' target, says Burrow

THEY are used to competing for a place at the Grand Final at this time of year but Rob Burrow admits Leeds Rhinos now know Super League survival is the only goal.
Leeds Rhinos' Rob Burrow (Picture: Bruce Rollinson).Leeds Rhinos' Rob Burrow (Picture: Bruce Rollinson).
Leeds Rhinos' Rob Burrow (Picture: Bruce Rollinson).

The fallen champions head to current leaders Hull FC tonight with their position in the bottom four confirmed after Sunday’s 23-22 loss to Widnes Vikings. Treble-winners Leeds, then, are in the Qualifiers, but have three regular rounds remaining before that crucial competition to avoid relegation begins.

“Obviously the realisation is we are in the Middle Eights so we have got to get used to that,” said Burrow, who has featured in all seven of the West Yorkshire club’s Grand Final wins. “But nothing changes in the fact we need to keep improving.

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“Whatever ‘eight’ we are in, we need to be good at the end of the year. We would have liked to have been involved in the play-offs and the Grand Final, but we’re not.

“Now we are playing for our Super League survival so we have got to pick up like we have been doing all year.

“Unfortunately we have got used to this – picking ourselves up after a loss and going again – but we have got to do it because all the games we’ve got remaining are tough. We’ve got Hull, top of the league, then Wigan, the team who are second, and then Hull KR, a team in a similar position to us.

“Momentum is everything. Going in to the Middle Eights knowing we have played well for three games would help us. If we pick up wins against Hull, Wigan and Hull KR we will be flying, but we have got to do that.”

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Bottom-placed Leeds had strung together two wins before succumbing to a late drop goal against Widnes.

Furthermore, they know they can succeed against Hull having inflicted one of only five losses on Lee Radford’s men when winning 20-18 at Headingley in April.

Burrow, 33, admitted: “It will be tough, but we have nothing to lose really, in a way.Obviously we want to get a win and to build form, but the pressure is off in terms of making the top eight.”