BEATEN BRIAN DEFIANT
BRIAN McDERMOTT says Leeds would be world beaters if they played NRL teams every week.
The Super League champions were blown away after trying to turn on the style in this World Club Challenge match yesterday.
They decided to take the game to Melbourne in their own backyard and shocked them by racing into an early lead through Ryan Hall.
But the Storm were ruthless in the way they hunted down the Rhinos and slowly but surely snuffed the life out of them.
McDermott, however, is sure he didn’t see anything his men could not cope with on a regular basis.
The Leeds coach said: “If you gave my team 10 games I reckon by week eight, nine or 10 we would be up to that level.
“But unfortunately that debate has gone on for 20 years about the intensity of Super League week in, week out compared to NRL.
“It will be another couple of games before we are in a game as intense as that and playing at that level.” Leeds are straight back into Super League action next week, against Widnes, followed by Catalans the week after.
They are fixtures that McDermott clearly believes his men can cope with – despite jet lag – before facing Challenge Cup holders Hull.
But they will face all those games without 18-year-old full-back Jack Walker and loose forward Stevie Ward.
Both limped off in the first half against Melbourne (right, celebrating victory), with torn knee ligaments and a torn calf, and both are now set to go under the knife.
Walker, who hopes to return within two weeks of surgery, said: “I am massively gutted that the game ended so early for me. “It was really intense but I thought I dealt with it quite well. ‘‘But I got twisted in a tackle and tried to carry on but in the end I could not sprint.” Melbourne were in a different class and destroyed Leeds in much the same way they ripped through the NRL last year on the way to the title. But Leeds also shot themselves in the foot with a string of unforced errors and soft defence for some of the Storm’s seven tries. Captain Kallum Watkins said: “They really are a formidable side and they punished us for our errors. “But there is lots for us to learn from and now we will move on and focus on the next game with Widnes next Sunday.”