Emotional Victory for Leeds Rhinos Honors Club Legend Rob Burrow
On an emotionally charged night at Headingley, Leeds Rhinos prop Mikolaj Oledzki believes his side channelled their emotions into a performance worthy of honouring club legend Rob Burrow, who sadly passed away on June 2. Friday’s 18-10 victory against Leigh Leopards marked the first game at the iconic stadium since Burrow’s passing, as well as the first match since the departure of head coach Rohan Smith earlier in the week.
Oledzki spoke honestly about the challenges of managing the high emotions surrounding the occasion. “We spoke about trying to control our emotions. We knew it was going to be a big occasion for the club and for everyone involved in rugby league,” he told Love Rugby League. “We knew that emotions were going to be high, but there wasn’t an option not to win. We wanted to make sure it was a special day for the club and for everyone involved.“
The Gdańsk-born forward admitted the emotion stayed with the players throughout the game, making it tough to “put the emotion away.” However, Oledzki felt they “used them (the supporters) in the right way, and it got us over the line.”
Oledzki also paid a touching tribute to his former teammate Burrow, describing him as “an absolute legend” and celebrating his achievements both on and off the field.
Building on the Emotional Victory
Despite Leeds’ mixed campaign so far in 2024, Oledzki believes this victory against a Leigh side destined for the top six can provide a platform for the Rhinos to build upon. “It’s easy to get up for a game when you have a build up like that today; but the challenge is to turn up and play away from home, where there aren’t fireworks and 15,000 people behind you.“
The prop also revealed that the Leeds pack had taken certain pundit criticism “personally” following the defeat to Hull FC, using it as additional motivation to deliver a strong performance against the Leopards. “We spoke about certain people on TV having their opinions about things, and we decided to take that personally.“
Oledzki was also full of praise for Leeds’ latest recruit, Wigan loanee Sam Eseh, who made his debut off the bench. “Sam only came in for one training session, but he’s a Leeds lad, and fair play to Sam, he ripped it up.“
This hard-fought victory leaves the Rhinos just two points outside the play-off spots, and they will look to build on this emotional win when they return to action against the London Broncos after the international break.
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