The end of an era? Probably, but what a ride it has been for Leeds Rhinos over the past decade. The victory against Wigan in the Grand Final on Saturday ensured a sixth Super League title since 2006, which goes with two Challenge Cup victories and three World Club Challenge titles. As far as sporting dynasties go this Leeds side are surely one of rugby league’s finest.
But with the captain, Kevin Sinfield, and the forward duo Jamie Peacock and Kylie Leuluai now retiring, the challenge for Leeds is just how to replace those men in 2016. The fact these retirements have been planned for a serious amount of time – Peacock announced his intentions at the beginning of 2014 – has given Leeds ample time to prepare and many long-serving members remain.
With all the talk on Saturday about Sinfield, Peacock and Leuluai leaving massive holes that would be tough to fill, it was perhaps appropriate the man who will replace Sinfield as captain next year produced a man-of-the-match performance at Old Trafford to remind everyone there will still be plenty of experience around next year.
The half-back Danny McGuire, as philosophical as ever, insisted the task is not replacing those giants but adapting and starting a new Leeds dynasty. “All three are irreplaceable,” said McGuire. “These three guys are not going to be replaced, it’s important to point that out; it’s about starting afresh and people coming in to take their own shirts, start their own chapters and their own careers.
“Liam Sutcliffe’s already been in and around the team and although he’ll have massive boots to fill in the shape of Kevin’s, he’s a young lad who has a massive future in and around the game.” Whilst McGuire’s performance at Old Trafford proved there is still plenty of big-game nous at the club at the older end of the scale, it is the opposite end which is most intriguing. Leeds have a proven record of producing top talent, as do many other clubs, and their latest star may be the one who sealed a historic treble with the game-winning try on Saturday night.
Josh Walters is certainly not your average rugby league player in terms of his upbringing; his childhood was spent playing rugby union before he switched codes and then signed professionally with Leeds in 2013. He still worked in the Headingley club shop until last year and played in the lower leagues with Hunslet as recently as three months ago.
Yet he is now a treble-winner with the Rhinos and one of several youngsters the club will look towards making first-team regulars in 2016.
“This year I’ve hardly managed to break into the team; it’s such a good team and there’s some great players above me. I’d been thinking I wasn’t even going to get a game this year,” said Walters. “I’m just thankful that Mac [the Rhinos coach, Brian McDermott] had faith in me to pick me for the team, as there’s been a couple of times this year where I’ve been in the squad but never got off the bench. When I first joined the Leeds academy, and as recently as last February, I still worked in the club shop.
“Initially I worked on match nights round the back of the cricket stand selling stuff out of the trailers, and now I’ve scored a try in the Grand Final at Old Trafford – it’s mad really.”
The last word should perhaps go to one of the men who is leaving. The fact only three teams in Super League history have completed the treble and Jamie Peacock has played in two of them speaks volumes about the man.
His playing career is now over and he will head to Hull Kingston Rovers to become their football manager in 2016. But, as he has done throughout his distinguished career, Peacock took one last opportunity to deflect the attention away from himself, saying Leeds will be just fine without him.
“Culture lasts beyond any person and it withstands the loss of any person,” he said. “The culture they’ve got in that group will survive the loss of me, there’s no danger of that whatsoever. There’s some tough young players in that side and they’re skilful, and that’s a frightening combination for any team.”
It may be the toughest challenge Leeds have faced since this golden decade began. Replacing three of their finest players in an off-season is a tough ask but, as Leeds proved countless times in 2015, write them off at your peril.
