LACHIE MILLER EARNS LEEDS RHINOS PLAUDITS AS ROHAN SMITH OFFERS MEASURED PERSPECTIVE

Leeds head coach Rohan Smith heaped praise on Lachlan Miller after the Australian full-back made the difference in his side’s 26-6 win over Castleford at the Mend-a-Hose Jungle. Miller was central to a superb defensive performance in a rare scoreless first period that was largely dominated by the hosts, before proceeding to grab his first two tries after the break.

Smith said: “Lachie was everywhere with the ball and he made sure we finished the first half with energy and intent despite having no field position and letting ourselves down with a bit of handling. Offensively the ball ended up in his hands a few times, but his defensive work in the first half gave us a chance to do what we did in the second half.

“With the amount of possession they had, usually something is going to go against you, but the discipline of our defence to not give up penalties in that area was huge.”

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Leeds barely had a chance to escape their own 20 in the opening period but looked a different team after the break as Paul Momirovski crossed twice before Miller’s persistence was rewarded with a brace of his own to seal the win. Victory was a welcome relief for Leeds after successive back-to-back home defeats to St Helens, but Smith will not get carried away, insisting: “It’s two points – nothing else.

“It’s about accumulating points. We’ve got eight on the board now, which is decent. I’m not satisfied, but it’s not that bad.”

2024-03-29T07:58:49Z dg43tfdfdgfd