No team can stay at that level in Super League throughout a full season

5:24am Thursday 3rd April 2008

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WHO'S going to stop Leeds Rhinos?

It's a question I've heard asked quite a lot over the past few weeks.

They may be top of Super League at the moment, and could well be at the end of the year, but they will not go through the rest of the season unbeaten no matter how attractive and entertaining their Harlem Globetrotter style of rugby has been so far this season.

Leeds look like they have peaked to me, which they needed to do to defeat Melbourne Storm in the World Club Challenge, and no team can stay at that level in Super League throughout a full season - the competition is too taxing mentally and physically.

St Helens, as good as they have been in the Super League era, could not last the pace for the full term last year and paid the price with a heavy defeat against Leeds in the Grand Final.

I expect the Rhinos will hit a lull at some point in mid-season and attempt to lift themselves again at the back end in order to be in good shape for the play offs and in a bid to defend their champions tag at Old Trafford in October.

The Rhinos players will also have an eye on the World Cup in Australia at the end of the season and will be determined to manage their condition so that they do not burn themselves out.

Despite the outstanding way that Leeds have started the season, the positive point for second-placed Warrington is that the Headingley men are only four points ahead.

Wolves have six wins on board despite not hitting into their best form yet and the chiefs at The Halliwell Jones Stadium must be taking great heart from that, despite the weekend's disappointing defeat against Harlequins.

Hopefully Wolves' true colours will blossom as the season progresses so that Paul Cullen's troops will be hitting absolute peak form themselves at the times when silverware is handed out.