Super League: Leeds Rhinos hooker Rob Burrow devastated by early playoff exit
Monday 22 September 2014 17:49, UK
Rob Burrow admits he was “devastated” after Leeds Rhinos crashed out of the Super League playoffs after a 24-20 reverse at the hands of Catalan Dragons.
Rhinos’ dreams of completing the domestic double having won the Tetley’s Challenge Cup earlier in the summer were crushed by a last-gasp try from Sam Williams at Headingley on Saturday evening.
It was the first time Catalans have prevailed in West Yorkshire and it saw the Rhinos exit the playoffs at the first stage for the first time since 2006.
Six-time Grand Final winner Burrow revealed it was a sinking feeling, claiming the result was a total shock.
“Obviously we’ve been in situations when we’ve not reached the final before, but this one seems the most unexpected,” he told the Yorkshire Evening Post.
“That’s no disrespect to Catalan, we knew we were in for a tough fight, but to go out in the first round of the play-offs, you don’t train that week thinking this could be the last week at training. We are shocked and really disappointed, obviously.”
Burrow admits a defeat is usually followed by an immediate return to the training ground, though, on this occasion the Rhinos have until next season to reflect on their loss.
“It’s a weird one,” Burrow added. “The first thing you want to do after a loss is get things put right in training and move on and play the next team.
Strange
“But it’s over and it’s a strange feeling. It hasn’t really dawned on us that the season’s over, but that’s the risk when you come to knockout play-offs.
“That’s something we usually thrive on, but we didn’t quite have it this time. It’s devastating.”
We can’t blame anybody apart from the team performance. Credit to Catalan, they were a good side and we expected no different, but we usually do have enough and we usually do raise the bar in play-offs, but we didn’t really do that.
Catalan’s winner came from an error by Leeds winger Tom Briscoe, but Burrow said: “I don’t think the game was won or lost on that at all.
“There were loads of dropped balls and mistakes in there. That wasn’t the reason, we just didn’t do enough.
“We can’t blame anybody apart from the team performance. Credit to Catalan, they were a good side and we expected no different, but we usually do have enough and we usually do raise the bar in play-offs, but we didn’t really do that.”
Leeds lost all four games following the cup final win against Castleford Tigers, but Burrow insists Rhinos have no excuses for not matching Wigan’s feat from last year.
“Wigan showed last year that the double can be done,” he added. We put a lot into the Cup win. It’s no excuse, but it obviously did have an effect.
“But that’s way, way back and we have moved on. It was a factor, but it’s not the reason.”
