Leeds have just beaten their local rivals Bradford, by 44-2 at Headingley Carnegie Stadium. While the runaway affair might not have grabbed the casual neutral viewer by the scruff of the neck, it showed either just how good Leeds are or how badly Bradford are playing. I’d say it was the former.
Leeds haven’t conceded a try in 160 minutes of Rugby League. They have only conceded two points in that time frame. That is an amazing achievement for any team at elite level sport. It shows their defence is rock solid and their communication and team spirit is second to none. Twice Bradford were held up over the line in spectacular fashion. Countless times Leeds forced a Bradford error just as they were about to score. Jaime Jones-Buchanan was instrumental in the forwards, as was Matt Diskin who was my man of the match. The stats don’t lie, thirty three runs from dummy half Leeds performed. As a hooker, Diskin must have had a huge hand in that.
And that’s not half of it. Their support play was second nature and their awareness in relation to where they are on the field and where others are standing was phenomenal. In Rob Burrow they have a jinxing little half back who dances through opposition like there is no one there. His try today showed why he is the best British half back playing in Rugby League. And will somebody give a hand to the in form Brent Webb. The New Zealander must be loving it at the back of that defence.
I’ll be honest in saying that usually one game with twenty rounds of the season to play doesn’t usually provide evidence of a Grand Final winning team. But if you had have noticed the reaction from the Leeds players to the final hooter then you’d know they are a side that desperately want to win the league this year, for the second year running.
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