McDermott sees signs of recovery

Brian McDermott was a relieved man after Leeds returned to winning ways with a narrow victory over a resurgent Wakefield.

The defending champions moved back into the top eight but were pushed all the way by their local rivals at Headingley. The Rhinos went into the clash on the back of four defeats in their last five Super League games and with 10 players competing in their second match in 48 hours. Winger Ben Jones-Bishop scored a hat-trick and captain Kevin Sinfield landed eight goals as Leeds recorded a much-needed 44-40 victory against the in-form Wildcats, who had won their previous three. "It doesn't fix anything up but there is enough to go on. It was always going to be a tough old game. I thought Wakefield played well," McDermott said. "We conceded a lot of points to a team that has been playing really well. "It doesn't make everything alright but, given where we are at the moment and the fact that 10 blokes played on Saturday night, it was an encouraging win."