01/02/08 - Tim Gets the Season Underway - Leeds Rhinos v Hull KR
“This great game of ours” Eddie Hemmings often calls it, although to the best of my knowledge he’s never been explicit about the identity of his co-owners.
Does he mean me and you; born and raised in the proud but oft bleak post-industrial Northern towns in which league insistently thrives?
Probably. Some of us up here love it, live it, breathe it. So it’s nice of Eddie to give us a part-share in it. And let’s be fair, it is damn good.
This Leeds v Hull KR match is a cracker to kick the season off.
Take heed: Rovers are going to be formidable this year. I was convinced they’d be seriously underrated over the opening rounds, even without Cooke. They’ve got some seriously top class personnel. So I was surprised to see the odds-makers nailing this opening number. A low double figure start factors in maximum respect for what, despite the quality, is a brand new KR side.
Leeds won’t be at their sharpest here, the Florida jaunt is no kind of prep, and Morgan’s men aren’t turning up simply for a post-match night out in the North’s most happening town.
And the awful weather is likely to play a part. Wind, rain, sleet and snow are bang in the equation, and the pitch is covered but poor, and likely to cut up. I don’t miss freezing my chestnuts off on the terraces week after week, but I love these early rounds when the winter tests every player’s resolve and winning is as more about sheer will than skill. It’s rugby league nostalgia for a few fun-filled February weeks.
Leeds will win this match, but they’ll be made to fight. It’ll be low scoring – possibly very low scoring. Don’t be surprised if Burrow or Sinfield are dropping-goals late on to make the two points safe.
I couldn’t back Leeds to give up two scores, but the punters love the Loiners (sorry, Rhinos), and plenty will. Come and get it.
RL’s back in town. Well, it is if you live somewhere near the M62.
Enjoy.
Tim
