Play-off rugby league is something special and we saw that at Headingley on Saturday night as St Helens pulled off a miracle play to defeat Leeds Rhinos, who had seemingly already booked their semi-final place. They say time is a good healer for heartbreak but in Super League, when it’s five months until your next competitive game, time can be a curse.
Fans, players, coaches and everyone associated with Leeds Rhinos will be begging for the new season to start just so they can put the devastation of Saturday night behind them, but that’s now how it works with Leeds set for a long and thought-provoking off-season.
What ifs will have been asked countless times already and as the analysis and the reality of what actually happened against Saints, Leeds must keep one key principle at heart – they’re in the early stages of building a champion team.
This isn’t a surefire Grand Final favourite losing in such circumstances, this is a team that finished eighth in Super League the past two seasons with many predicting a similar finish for 2025.
Instead, they placed fourth and secured a first home semi-final since 2017 and whilst they’ll now want to quickly forget that game, they must not forget what got them there.
With that said, changes must happen as the Rhinos take the next step from challenger to contender, and possibly even champions.
RFL issue statement on controversial try in Leeds Rhinos’ loss to St Helens
What next for Leeds Rhinos after heartbreak versus St Helens
Mental recovery
Mad Monday might have been a lot more sombre for the Rhinos on the back of such a devastating defeat but you could argue it is part of the recovery process with Leeds needing to keep their upcoming pre-season as similar in principle to the one they had last year.
Making rash changes to a process that has provided improved results shouldn’t be the play. Instead, those who aren’t representing their nations need to recover before firing into pre-season in early November, with internationals joining at a later date.
It’s also important to note that this will already be a much-improved pre-season as last years hardly featured Lachie Miller after the full-back suffered an injury Down Under, whilst it also focused on a half-back pairing of Matt Frawley and Brodie Croft. Since then, Jake Connor has firmly established himself as their leader in the spine so the Rhinos will benefit from a pre-season where all key players feature, and in their correct positions.
Recruitment
Maika Sivo will quite literally be like a new signing as last year’s NRL recruit continues his recovery with the winger hopefully fit and firing for the start of the new Super League campaign in February. He’ll be a massive boost for the side but other actual new recruits will be needed.
Sam Lisone played every single game in Super League this season and whilst his minutes aren’t huge, they’re valuable and impactful. Lisone is somewhat of a unique player and whether the Rhinos opt to replace him with another impactful player or with a middle who can play longer minutes is unclear. Either way, reinforcements at prop are necessary.
So too is another second-rower with Morgan Gannon leaving to sign for the New Zealand Warriors in the NRL. James McDonnell earned the Dream Team nod but Gannon went about having a very strong season and replacing him will be tough.
Leeds will of course look to their own system for both and they’ll find Presley Cassell and Zak Lloyd, the former having made a handful of appearances this season. Whether they deem that enough is another question with at least one signing expected.
Another position that could need adding to is hooker amid reports from All Out Rugby League that Andy Ackers is on his way out, with Jarrod O’Connor in need of some competition if that’s the case.
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Minimise change
After such a dramatic loss, a natural reaction could be to look for an immediate fix but there isn’t one. Leeds scramble defence was enthusiastic but not good enough on that final play, something which allowed such a void on their right flank to open up.
Within the game there were moments they didn’t execute but that’s the pressure of the play-offs and human nature, but those same principles of effort and intent got them to a fourth-placed finish and saw them beat each of Super League’s top three in Hull KR, Wigan Warriors and Leigh Leopards.
A second pre-season under Brad Arthur and another year with Jamie Langley leading the defence spells success. Arguably their biggest loss is Gary Hetherington but Jamie Jones-Buchanan is another man who lives and breathes Leeds Rhinos and will ensure that the principles remain the same.
That’s key for Leeds. They’re 18 months into a rebuild and they’re already one of Super League’s very best. A miracle play to end their 2025 campaign doesn’t change that and those at Headingley are smart enough to know that they needn’t throw the baby out with the bath water.
𝓣𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓴 𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓖𝓪𝓻𝔂 🙌
A special moment as Gary Hetherington delivers the match ball for his last game as Rhinos CEO, with supporters showing their appreciation for his incredible period in charge of the club. pic.twitter.com/54VgoHxAI5
— Leeds Rhinos (@leedsrhinos) September 29, 2025
