Future Hull Kingston Rovers player Rhyse Martin has gained approval for the way he handled his final game for Leeds Rhinos - which was ironically against the Robins.
Martin ended more than five years of playing for Leeds, ahead of joining Rovers from 2025, by featuring in the 26-16 away defeat for the Rhinos that ended the regular Super League season. The 31-year-old scored a try, which was followed by muted celebrations by him, to give Brad Arthur's team the lead during a tight first half before Hull KR pulled clear in the second period.
Asked about Martin, Rhinos coach Arthur said: "He just got on with his job. When he made his decision early in the piece, he continued to play really hard for us and his team-mates for the rest of the year, no-one can question him on that. Maybe his first game after his decision he was a little bit off but it was a tough week for him. We had a chat about that. But he can walk away knowing that he is leaving a pretty good legacy"
Former Robin James Donaldson, 32, also joined the Rhinos in 2019 but played his final game for the club on Friday night at Craven Park. He came off the bench and was held up over the line, ahead of joining Bradford Bulls.
Asked about the Rhinos' departing players, Arthur said: "I'll talk to them during the week. I was disappointed for those guys - Rhyse and Donno in particular have been here for a long time, a lot longer than a lot of players at our club. And you can see how important it was to them when they spoke to the group at the end of the game. At least they can walk out knowing that the team had a crack although they didn't get the job done."
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