Leeds Rhinos boss Brad Arthur has spoken to the media after his side came crashing out of the playoffs in heart-breaking fashion, as Shane Wright try in the final minute saw their season come to an end.
The Rhinos had a 12-6 lead at the break, following tries from Chris Hankinson and James McDonnell. However they would lose their lead in the final minute of the game, with Jon Bennison and then eventually Wright crossing to give Paul Wellens’ men the victory.
As expected, the Aussie coach was emotional after losing out in such dramatic circumstances. Asked for his immediate reaction to the defeat, the 50-year-old was emotional as his side’s season came to an end in such a way.
“It’s shattering,” he said. “I’m disappointed and shattered, but just shattered for the players. They worked their backsides off all year, invested so much in that performance. Shattered for our fans, who have invested so much in our team. It’s a cruel game sometimes, and don’t think we deserved for it to end like that, but we have to deal with it. It’s going to be a tough pill to swallow, but it’s going to make us better.
There were some controversial moments in the game, with outcomes of tries and a potential punch thrown the key events. Arthur was keen to brush off any kind of finger-pointing, and focused more on his side’s performance.
He said: “I’m not going to start heaping rubbish on referees and the video decisions. Everyone can make their own opinion of it. What I will say is we worked extremely hard to win that game, pit ourselves in a position to win the game. I feel like we should have.”
Leeds were just one tackle away from making a semi-final, and would have travelled to Hull KR should they have held on. Arthur commented on how disappointing it is to have that taken away by just one moment in the game.
“[It] Probably shouldn’t have come down to that [last play]. We shouldn’t be relying on that last play. But, I’m a bit lost for words, except that I’m extremely proud of the group. Sometimes you don’t always het what you deserve, it’s part of life. We’ve got to find a way to bounce back from it and use that as fuel throughout the pre-season to work hard and make sure that if we get put in that position again it doesn’t happen.”
“Sometimes it’s out of your control” – Leeds Rhinos boss admits season-ending loss tough to take
Arthur agreed that it was not the way he would have wanted his season to end, adding: “Not when it gets taken out of your grasp like that. Both teams went at it hard, it was a tough game, tough contest and yeah, maybe a couple of tough calls didn’t help the situation. Just makes it hard, sometimes it’s out of your control.”
Of course, this defeat will have a huge effect on the playing squad, being so close and letting it slip at the crucial moment. The Rhinos boss said how draining it was for them, and admits it will take a while for that defeat to sink in.
“They’re shattered. Especially when it happens like that. Just gets taken away from you. Sometimes, if there’s five or ten minutes to go and the game’s gone, it’s not easy to swallow but you now it’s coming. Just the whole way through that game it felt like we were in total control and it felt like we were going to be the winning team.
“It’ll take a while [to get over]. I’m just going to try and focus on all the positives of our season and how much the players bought in. How strong the club is and the work we’ve done. We need to use it and make sure we’re better next year.”
