With FC getting walloped by the Minor Premiers elect on friday night, and Leeds having the chance to clamber their way into the top four for the first time in 2010, the last thing that you'd have expected would have been a Bluey gamble!

But gamble he did as he left out Senior and Peacock (minor hand injury) from his final seventeen, a squad already without Rob Burrow. the only piece of good news was that Superman was back in the starting line-up after getting injured against the Harlequins over a month ago.

We bring you all of the action here......

It was a great sunday afternoon Rhinos following that swelled the gate at the Willows despite the cloud filled skies. Leeds started the game defending their own support attacking the 'club' end But soon found out that the Reds weren't there to make up the numbers.

On three minutes the home side opened the scoring when the Rhinos made a real 'porridge' of a high kick, the ball bouncing off the shoulder of Webb and back to Reds hands to be moved left and for Broughton to cross in the corner. Tyrer missed the conversion to lessen the pain slightly. Six minutes later and we were on level terms thanks to a McGuire intercept on half-way which saw him make the Reds ten metre line before being hauled down. Four plays later and Ian Kirke crashed over to score but sinfield failed to convert, 4-4.

Two Tries

We managed to keep parity until seventeen when the Reds benefitted from one of several Bentham blunders. As the Reds moved forward they knocked-on but Bentham waved the tackle count to zero, seeing a Leeds hand that no-one else did. Salford then used their tackles before Gibson went over and grounded the ball despite having four Rhinos tacklers attached. Tyrer kicked the goal for 4-10. The Reds bossed the remainder of a scoreless half and the Rhinos just had to soak up the pressure putting in a massive defensive effort. As the hooter arrived it was a blessed relief and we began to wonder whether the Rhinos were really interested in taking the fourth place their supporters crave.

At the start of the second half it got a little worse when Lee Smith lost the ball in a tackle on his own twenty. On the next play Bentham ruled Leeds offside and Tyrer galdly took the two point invitation. 04-12. The Reds fans could sniff an upset.

Around the fifty-minute mark the Rhinos bombed two clear chances in quick succession. First Delaney was ruled to have made a double movement when he should have taken the tackle and played the ball and then two minutes later a pass from Lauiti'iti was dropped by McGuire with the line begging. Was the score coming, or was this going to be another of those days against lower opposition?

On fifty-three we broke the line for the first time in over forty minutes when Ali offloaded brilliantly to Hall to cross in the corner. Sinfield goaled as the ball bounced on top of the upright and fell the right side of the sticks. We were in the hunt at 10-12.

Five minutes later and a 'delayed' (some may say confused) JJB pass put Sinfield through a gap to score next to the sticks and as he added the conversion we'd hit the front for the first time in the game. On sixty-one a high tackle on Ablett allowed Sinfield to kick a penalty from twenty metres out for 18-12 and two minutes later we scored the try of the game as Delaney fended off two players as he broke downfield before passing out to Donald who went down the touchline and scored in the corner as he was tackled. Sinfield goaled from the touchline for 24-12 and the natives were getting restless as the Rhinos fans celebrated scoring eighteen unanswered points.

Scored

On sixty-six the Reds got a try from nothing as Cashmere crossed after walking through a weak Leeds defence. Tyrer goaled to reduce the arrears to six at 24-18.

On sixty-nine Leeds had made good field position and set up Sinfield for the coolest drop goal you'll ever see for 25-18 and a two score margin. Two minutes later and the game was in the bag after a 'basketball' episode saw Leeds somehow retain the ball and move play to the left where Hall went in for his second, this time off a JJB pass. Sinfield failed to goal.

Five minutes from time and the Reds put a goal-line dropout into touch on the full and Sinfield kicked the penalty from in-front of the sticks. It was 31-18 and even a last minute Ashley Gibson try, and Tyrer missed conversion, couldn't alter the result as Leeds took the two points, did the double over the Reds, and snatched fourth place with four games of the regular season remaining.

We aren't playing well. We dropped ball, gave away penalties, and looked to pick up yet another injury (this time Ian Kirke). At the end of the day we were too good for a brave Reds and Blueys gamble of resting Senior and Peacock paid off. All credit to Sinfield, the skipper once again shepherded his side through a tough encounter to get a hard fought vistory.

Next up....Wigan at HQ next friday. Now that one will be interesting.