Magic Weekend: Leeds Rhinos aim to make the most of Elland Road ‘home advantage’ | Rugby League News

This year’s venue for the Betfred Super League’s Magic Weekend is as close to a home venue without actually being at home as Leeds Rhinos could get – even if they are nominally the ‘away’ team for their match against Warrington Wolves.

Elland Road, the home of the city’s football club Leeds United, is just a four-mile drive south from the Rhinos’ AMT Headingley ground and is not exactly unfamiliar territory for them down the years either.

It was host to Leeds’ World Club Challenge triumphs over Canterbury Bulldogs and Melbourne Storm in 2005 and 2008, plus two Super League matches in the 2018 season. There are those of another generation who will remember nearly 23,000 being there to see Mal Reilly’s side beat Castleford in the old Yorkshire Cup final in 1988 as well – a rare trophy for the club in that era.

So, while the decision to relocate Magic Weekend from Newcastle’s St James’ Park to Elland Road may not have been universally welcomed, there will be little grumbling from anyone associated with the Rhinos and captain Cameron Smith is relishing the occasion.

“I can’t wait, and it almost feels like a home game,” Smith told Sky Sports. “We’re not too far away from Headlingley, and with the connection between United and Leeds Rhinos, the people of Leeds will be wanting to come here and support us.

“There’s a lot going on, but our preparation will still be the same and it’s just another game.

“We’re the last game and we’re used to playing late, but we’ll be focused on our game and nothing else.”

Added to the excitement for Leeds is the fact they head into this game on the back of a surprise 30-4 demolition of reigning champions Wigan Warriors last week.

Saturday’s match against Warrington, the final game of day one of Magic Weekend 2024 (7.30pm, live on Sky Sports Action), comes barely five weeks after the last meeting between the teams which saw the Wolves triumph 30-18 at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.

It was that game which saw Brad Arthur get a glimpse of the team in person for the first time as well, having just arrived in the country after being appointed head coach until the end of the season following the departure of Rohan Smith.

Results have continued to be up and down – two wins and two defeats – since the 50-year-old took charge fresh from over a decade at the reins of NRL side Parramatta Eels. Yet Arthur saw the stunning win over Wigan as a sign of the progress he has seen from the team since he came on board.

“We’ve been chasing that 80-minute effort and I thought we did that,” Arthur told Sky Sports.

“I’m disappointed we leaked a try because I felt like we’d done enough. We lacked a little bit of detail at times, but we’re getting better at it, and you can see some signs.

“It’s very hard for me to be critical because they worked their backsides off.”

Even with that victory over a Warriors side which has swept all before them in rugby league over the past year, heading into Magic Weekend, the Rhinos are still four points off the play-off places with six games of the regular season remaining.

Failure to make the top six for the second year in a row, having gone on an improbable run to reach the Grand Final in Smith’s first season in charge in 2022, is near-on unthinkable for the eight-time Super League champions, even though the last of those titles came in 2017.

Backing up that win at home to Wigan with victory over a Warrington side which harbours their own title ambitions would do much to strengthen those play-off hopes and loose forward Smith has every reason to be confident going into Magic Weekend.

“I think we’re really positive and I feel like we’ve been due a decent win in these last couple of weeks,” Smith said.

“We’ve had some good performances, but we’ve almost beaten ourselves.

“We come into the game with some confidence and some momentum.”

Whatever happens on Saturday evening though, the long-term future for Arthur beyond this season remains up in the air.

The Australian has been consistent in his view the Rhinos players need to show they want him to still be at the helm in 2025.

“They need to show me that again this week – and the week after that,” Arthur said.

Watch every match of the Betfred Super League’s 2024 Magic Weekend live on Sky Sports on August 17 and 18. Also stream with NOW.

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