This year’s Betfred Super League Magic Weekend venue is not technically home for the Leeds Rhinos, but it’s the closest thing to a home venue – even though they are nominally the ‘away’ team in their match against Warrington Wolves.
Elland Road, home of the city’s football club, Leeds United, is just a four-mile drive south of the Rhinos’ AMT Headingley Ground, so it’s not a place they’ve been unfamiliar with for many years.
The stadium was the site of the World Club Challenge in 2005 and 2008, when Leeds beat the Canterbury Bulldogs and Melbourne Storm, and also hosted two Super League matches in the 2018 season. Some from another generation will remember that nearly 23,000 people watched Mal Reilly’s team beat Castleford in the 1988 Yorkshire Cup final, a rare trophy for clubs of that era.
So the decision to move Magic Weekend from Newcastle’s St James’ Park to Elland Road may not have been universally welcomed, but there have been few murmurs of complaint from Rhinos officials and captain Cameron Smith is relishing the opportunity.
“I can’t wait. It feels like a home game,” Smith said. Sky Sports“It’s not too far from Headlingley and with the United connection to Leeds Rhinos I’m sure people from Leeds will want to come and support them.”
“There’s a lot going on but our preparation is the same and it’s just another game.
“It’s our last game and we’re used to games going slower, but we’re just going to focus on our game.”
Adding to the excitement for Leeds is the fact that they come into this game on the back of a stunning 30-4 win over reigning champions Wigan Warriors last week.
Saturday’s game against Warrington is the final match on the opening day of Magic Weekend 2024 (7.30pm, live on Sky Sports Action) and comes just five weeks after Wolves won 30-18 the last time the teams met at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.
The match also marked the first opportunity for Brad Arthur to see the team in person, having recently arrived in the country after being appointed head coach until the end of the season following the departure of Rohan Smith.
The 50-year-old Arthur has had an up-and-down record of two wins and two losses since taking over after more than a decade in charge of the NRL’s Parramatta Eels, but he saw the impressive win over Wigan as evidence of the team’s progress since he took over.
“We were looking for an 80-minute effort and I thought we delivered,” Arthur said. Sky Sports.
“It’s disappointing to let the try slip away because I thought we had done enough. We were lacking a few little details but we are getting better and the signs are clear.”
“It’s very hard for me to criticize them because they worked so hard.”
Heading into the Magic Weekend, despite the win over the Warriors, who have won every rugby league match of the past year, the Rhinos are still four points off the play-off places with six regular season games remaining.
Use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Highlights from last Saturday’s Betfred Super League match between Leeds Rhinos and Wigan Warriors
Despite an incredible run to reach the Grand Final in 2022, Smith’s first season in charge, failing to finish in the top six for a second consecutive year seems almost unthinkable for the eight-time Super League champions, whose last title was in 2017.
A win at home to Wigan followed by a win against title-ambitious Warrington would go a long way to bolster their play-off hopes and loose forward Smith has every reason to be confident going into the Magic Weekend.
“We’re very positive and feel like we’ve been able to get some pretty good wins over the last few weeks,” Smith said.
“We performed well but we almost lost to ourselves.
Brad Arthur is contracted to Leeds until the end of the 2024 season.
“We go into the game with confidence and momentum.”
But regardless of what happens Saturday night, Arthur’s long-term future beyond this season remains up in the air.
The Australian manager has consistently believed the Rhinos players need to show he still wants to be in charge in 2025.
“They need to show me that again this week and the week after,” Arthur said.
You can watch every match from the Betfred Super League 2024 Magic Weekend live on Sky Sports on 17th and 18th August. Also streaming NOW.
Sky Sports+ has officially launched Sky TVstreaming services now The Sky Sports app will also allow Sky Sports customers to watch over 50% more live sport this year, at no extra cost. Find out more here.
