Leeds Rhinos’ coach Brian McDermott lauds his side after Grand Final win - Rugby League
While talking to reporters on Monday, October 10, Leeds Rhinos’ coach, Brian McDermott, lauded his side’s “humility” after their thumping 32-16 win over St. Helens on Saturday night at Old Trafford.
McDermott becomes the third Briton to lead his side to a Grand Final in his very first season in charge. With that, McDermott’s pack has also become the first team to win the Grand Final Title, after finishing at the fifth place within the league ladder.
While talking about his side’s fourth successive win in five years, Leeds’ coach said, "Not once has anyone whined, moaned, blamed refs or looked for answers other than what's inside. That's why this is special. Coaching here is so special for the humility
and integrity the players show."
McDermott took pride in the character shown by his side, which led him to brand the coaching experience with Leeds a special one. This was the first time Leeds were in danger of missing out on their play-offs after losing 18-38 against Catalans Dragons this
July.
However, his side was full of conviction, through which they managed to claw their way back and ended up clinching the Grand Final title.
While talking about his side’s resilience also spoke about the how he came to coach the Rhinos. McDermott said that the club’s chief executive would have been criticised a lot for his uptake for the coach’s role because previously he was with Harlequins.
Recently, the team had been the centre of all sorts of criticism after they had finished the regular season at fifth place within the league standings. McDermott’s ability to lead the outfit at a higher level had been questioned by many. However, with the
recent win all the controvery has died down.
Rhinos’ skipper, Kevin Sinfield, dedicated their Grand Final win to those who had always criticised McDermott’s leadership and said, "People have had a crack at us and to hit a champion side [St Helens] straight on the chin is testament to the calibre of
player at the club, Brian Mac, the club, our conditioners. I'm really proud. People were calling us Dad's Army, but coming with a Dad's Army is a lot of experience.”
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