Leeds Rhinos skipper Kruise Leeming talks about club’s incredible journey to Super League Grand Final

In April, Leeds were second bottom with just one win to their name.

When they welcomed Toulouse to Headingley under interim boss Jamie Jones-Buchanan they fell behind early and there were fears that the Rhinos could slip to bottom of the league.

Relegation was a real threat but a hard fought win for Leeds that night helped yank them away from trouble but even when new boss Rohan Smith took over at Headingley they were still in a relegation battle.

However, the Rhinos have put together an amazing run of form under Smith losing just five games including just one defeat in the last 11 and now Leeds are preparing for a Grand Final against St Helens on Saturday.

But even skipper Kruise Leeming didn’t believe that a Grand Final was on the cards earlier in the season: “I think to say back then that I believed that we would get to a Grand Final, I think I’d be lying but did I think we had the squad capable to do something special, then yeah. I think everyone looked down the team sheet that we put out and had the same questions, why weren’t we doing well.”

Should Leeds win Leeming would become only the third Leeds captain after Kevin Sinfield and Danny McGuire and only the fourth Leeds player after those two and Rob Burrow who lifted the title with McGuire in 2017, to lift the Super League trophy.

On this, Leeming was keen to focus more on the team effort rather than himself lifting the trophy: “It would be unbelievable to write my name in history, it’s something I’ve not thought about too much it’s just about getting the job done, it’s a team effort. It doesn’t make a difference to me who lifts that trophy, it’s nice to do it, but the effort that has gone in through those tough times is what’s most important.”