Hetherington tries to soothe Rhinos fans’ worries

Leeds chief executive Gary Hetherington has written to the club’s fans to reassure them that spirit at the club remains high.

The Rhinos were knocked out of the Challenge Cup at the weekend, and currently sit bottom of Super League after 13 games.

“Unless you are a very long-standing fan, this experience is something new to us all as we find ourselves in a tough position and one that is in complete contrast to this time last year,” Hetherington wrote.

“As I am sure you know, this is what can happen in professional team sport and most clubs in this situation would be in crisis with low morale, a blame culture and a frenzy to make wholesale changes throughout the organisation. But that’s not the case here!

“Don’t get me wrong, we are hurting very badly and I see it every day with the players and coaching staff at training and all our staff at Headingley, but we know the reasons for our plight and no one could have envisaged what has happened over the past few months.

“And so I find myself surrounded not by pessimists but by an incredibly energised and positive group of players, coaches and staff who are all working incredibly hard to achieve new and different goals.

“Our first and most immediate goal is to climb the Super League table and then make the top eight by round 23.

“I genuinely believe we can all look to some exciting times ahead,” he added. “We have a vision for the club and a set of values which underpin all we do.”