Tony Smith addresses the Leeds Rhinos fans who want Rohan Smith sacked

For weeks, there has been an undercurrent of dissatisfaction amongst the Leeds Rhinos supporters. There has been a nagging feeling among fans that their side is not progressing in the way they would like under current head coach, Rohan Smith. 

Having put together a remarkable run to the 2022 Super League Grand Final in Smith’s first year in charge, the 2023 season descended into a farce for the Rhinos. Off-the-field grievances with players such as Blake Austin and Kruise Leeming eventually spilt onto the field.

The Rhinos’ lowest moment last year came in the penultimate game of the season, as they lost 61-0 away at the Catalans Dragons. The Rhinos had hoped for better this season, having invested heavily in their spine, but results on the field has failed to follow. This has led to a growing section of the crowd calling for Smith to be replaced as Head Coach.

Now, following the defeat against Hull FC, that bubbling tension has spilled to open dissent, as fans took to social media to vent their anger.

Tony Smith addresses Leeds Rhinos fans who want Rohan Smith sacked

Speaking in the aftermath of the game, former Leeds and Hull head coach, Tony Smith, addressed the Leeds fans who have been calling for nephew, Rohan’s head. Whilst Tony Smith understands the expectations of the Leeds fans, he believes the current Leeds side needs time to gel in order to achieve the success the fans crave.

Smith referred to the club’s Golden Generation, who needed several years of near misses before they finally lifted the silver  the club so desperately craved in the 2004 season, during Smith’s time at the club. Smith said:

“Well I understand the expectation and desire you know I understand it from these people here, they’ve got a strong desire and once you’ve had some success like Leeds Rhinos have, you kind of want it all the time, you want it.

“And if expectation means wanting bad, yes, they want bad. But I’m not sure that they’ve got a team that is capable of winning the competition at the moment. So they need the temper and the expectations.

“There’s a whole lot of young guys out there who are going to be terrific young rugby league players they already are but it takes a while for them to come through and I’m learning with the Kevin Sinfield’s and the Jamie Jones Buchanan’s and Rob Burrow’s and Danny McGuire’s they weren’t winning right from the start they needed some time to build and gel and come together.