Tag Archives: Rochester Rhinos

Rhinos Wait Until the Second Half Against Syracuse University

Posted on by
1

The Rochester Rhinos started about as strong a team as head coach Jesse Myers could line up.  Despite 7 players in the starting lineup returning from last season, the team couldn’t get the offense organized during the first half against Syracuse University.  Not to worry, though, as the Rhinos rallied with a couple of two-goal bursts to sink 4 past the Central New York college.

Grading the Rhinos’ Starters:
Between the pipes, second-year German goalkeeper Kristian Nicht provided leadership from the back.  Throughout the game you could hear Nicht calmly dishing out advice and reminders to his defense in addition to looking sharp when he was called into action.

Troy Roberts looked like Troy Roberts on Friday afternoon.  What can I say about Roberts that we don’t already know?  He looks fully fit and ready to carry the Rhinos into another successful season.

Unfortunately George Kyriazis seemed to struggle once or twice against Syracuse.  The Orange’s number 10, Tony Asante, fooled the Greek veteran on a couple of occasions and won a dangerous free kick outside the area off him.  Kyriazis didn’t have his best day at the office and was subbed off at halftime.

Lucas Fernandez began last year behind Quavas Kirk in the pecking order, but with the former u-17 US international gone, Fernandez started on Friday.  The Argentine right back was active throughout the first half but was often not on the same page as the players around him or he tried to do too much going forward instead of passing the ball on.

Disclaimer: Tyler Polak and Chris Estridge look very similar and are both natural left backs.
With that said, I’m pretty sure it was the younger Polak (on loan from the NE Revs) who started the match against Syracuse.  The 20 year old full back played well and looked to fit in well at a position that the Rhinos struggled to fill all of last season.

There was a lot to like about the Rhinos midfield on Friday.

Michael Tanke started in defensive midfield and put in the necessary work in that role.  Despite his vertical disadvantage in aerial challenges, Tanke is the type of player coaches love; one who never gives up on a play or his team.  That grit showed through on a couple occasions even though the match was a preseason friendly.

Partnering Tanke in the center of midfield was recent signing Lance “Sunshine” Rozeboom.  Rozeboom’s duties on the field were unclear in the opening sequences of the game.  Last year midfielder Tyler Rosenlund seemed to run into deep forward Tam McManus but Rozeboom grew into his box-to-box support role as the game went on.

Yet again, the men on the flanks for the Rhinos will earn a lot of fans this season.

Irish midfielder Danny Earls started the game on the left wing but had a somewhat quiet first half.  Earls swapped sides with 22 year old winger Gabe Latigue.

Latigue is another player on loan from the Revolution and impressed me more than any other player on the Rhinos against Syracuse.  Within the first ten minutes of the game, Latigue was gesturing to his teammates to calm down on the ball and maintain their composure faced with a very quick team from CNY.

Returning forward Tam McManus was frustrated much of the game on Friday.  It was a familiar sight for Rhinos’ fans who saw McManus not live up to his pedigree in 2012.  For all the skill and promise his CV suggested, Tam finished the season with only 1 goal and 2 assists in 21 games last season.  Perhaps with improved players on the field around him, McManus will realize his potential.

One such player is former Orlando City striker Matt Luzunaris.  Luzunaris was more than just a big body for the Rhinos; he ran down long balls and was able to connect quick passes with his teammates.  Hopefully Luzunaris will convert strong performances into goals during the regular season.

Rhinos’ First Two Goals:
Latigue created two goals in quick succession from the left wing in the second half.  He played a ball through the air to McManus, who took the ball off his chest with his back to goal.  The Scottish veteran forward then laid the ball off to midfielder Rozeboom on a silver platter and the former D.C. United man curled his shot into the far post with his right instep for 1-0.

Not more than a few minutes later, Latigue played a cross from the left channel to find McManus at the far post.  Tam made no mistake with his head from close range and put the Rhinos up 2-0.

Bevvy of Rochester Substitutions:
Around 20 minutes into the second half, Jesse Myers made a slew of substitutions for the Rhinos.  Bilal Duckett replaced Lucas Fernandez.  Matt Horth came on for Tam McManus.  Kristian Nicht gave the gloves over to Brandon Miller.  Michael Tanke made way for Josh Faga.  Matt Luzunaris came off for Kendell McFayden.  Lance Rozeboom subbed off for Chris Estridge.  Because of the changes, Tyler Polak moved to left midfield as Estridge took over as left back and Gabe Latigue shifted to the right wing as Danny Earls operated centrally.

The game slowed down half-way through the second period but the Rhinos controlled possession.  Shortly after, Gabe Latigue made his way for the bench (to a well-deserved standing ovation from myself and my girlfriend despite the cold) and Kendell McFayden played on the right side.  A player, I have no idea who he was, came into the match and played the withdrawn forward role.

Rochester Seals the Victory:
Syracuse central defender Brandon Albert was called for a handball late in the game.  Danny Earls stepped up and executed a cute chipped shot to the left side as goalkeeper Alex Bono dove the other way.

During a ten minute spurt, Kendell McFayden was very active coming inside from the right wing.  He had two shots from range; one was miles wide and one was just inches over the crossbar.  In the dying seconds of the match, Kendell brought down a long ball near the sideline and beat the Syracuse left back to draw a foul.  Danny Earls stood over the deadball as Rochester players backed the box despite holding a 3-0 advantage.

Earls played a drifting ball into the area from the free kick.  As the service was coming down between the penalty spot and the six-yard box, Tyler Polak redirected the flight of the ball past a hapless Bono to underline the Rhinos dominance in the second half.

General Notes on the Match:
As I mentioned above, Gabe Latigue was the best player on the field for me.  He was active both physically and verbally.  The winger clearly demonstrated how and when to take his chances and rarely turned the ball over, valuable for a young player.  Though it pains me to see J.C. Banks sitting idly on the bench recovering from his ACL injury, Latigue can go a long way towards filling his shoes in the first part of the season.

Bilal Duckett also impressed me playing right back in the second half.  Duckett looked good playing for a mediocre Harrisburg side last year and has the ability to play well for the Rhinos defense on loan from the Revs.

Another impressive young player lined up for the opposition on Friday.  Syracuse attacking midfield maestro Stefan Stamoulacatos popped up in a number of positions for the Orange and always looked dangerous with the ball at his foot.  Even though his free kicks didn’t inspire rave reviews, it was clear to see why this dynamic player his earned multiple call-ups to US youth national team camps with goalkeeper Alex Bono.

How Will the Rhinos Line Up Against Charleston?

Posted on by
Reply

Rochester will be without the services of star winger J.C. Banks (red card against Orlando) along with attacking midfielder Tyler Rosenlund and withdrawn forward Tam McManus (both due to yellow card accumulation) because of suspension by the league.  The team will be able to cope without Rosenlund and McManus, but the loss of Banks will be a major blow.  Without Banks, missing the game because of a red card against Orlando, the team will have to find another outlet out of the back and primary source for penetrating runs forward.  The absence of McManus from the squad opens up the possibility for head coach Jesse Myers to play two forwards up top.

Once I realized that Myers doesn’t have the personnel (or the know-how) to properly line up a 4-4-1-1, I’ve been waiting for the team to switch to a 4-4-2.  There are two common types of forward partnerships in a 4-4-2 formation that have been successful in global football.  When a team has a tall center forward like 6’3″ Emmanuel Adebayor for Tottenham Hotspur last season or 5’9″ Abby Wambach for the United States Women’s National Team, the coach usually opts to go in one of two routes with the strike partner.  A player like Jermain Defoe, a small quick-footed goal poacher, hovers around the last defender and waits for his teammates to nod balls on to him.  However, a player like Alex Morgan will tirelessly chase down balls played into the corner.  Her experience as a winger and natural speed enable her to effortlessly beat defenders to balls played over the top to the corners (or anywhere on the field).

Both of these options require a tall center forward as a target man.  Luckily for the Rhinos, both Andrew Hoxie (6’4″) and Isaac Kissi (6’1″) can fulfill that role.  Hoxie can be the target forward who nods balls on to a more advanced Kissi playing on the shoulder of the last defender.  This requires strong wing play from the wide midfielders to spread the ball and play crosses into the box.  Or Kissi can be the target man in the center of the field while 6’0″ speedster Kendell McFayden chases down balls the midfield or defense plays up.  In this system, McFayden will run down wide balls so the outside midfielders don’t need to push up the field as high.  Add to this mix recent signing Karo Okiomah (6’2″) who has high level experience playing up top and the Rhinos have a lot of options in the strike force. Continue reading →

Predictions for the Final Two Weeks of USL-Pro Season

Posted on by
Reply

I was curious as to what the final standings might look like come the end of the season.  It can be difficult to tell based on today’s standings because each team has anywhere from one to four games remaining and because 4 teams are within 2 points of each other.

I took the liberty of filling in the rest of the playoff contenders’ schedules with the results I think with occur.  Feel free to disagree with me and tell me in the comment section which games you would change.

Rochester: currently has 38 points
vs Charleston – win
vs Pittsburgh – win
= would end the season with 44 points

Charleston: 34
at Rochester – loss
vs Dayton – win
=37

Wilmington: 34
at Charlotte – tie
vs Charlotte – win
=38

Harrisburg: 33
at Richmond – loss
at LA – win
at LA – loss
=36

Richmond: 32
vs Harrisburg – win
at Antigua – win
at Antigua – win
=41

Charlotte: 29
at Pittsburgh – win
at Dayton – win
vs Wilmington – tie
at Wilmington – loss
=36

Los Angeles: 26
vs Antigua – win
vs Harrisburg – loss
vs Harrisburg – win
=32

Projected Final Standings:
1. Orlando
2. Rochester
3. Richmond
4. Wilmington
5. Charleston
6. Charlotte (tied with Harrisburg on points but goes ahead on goal differential)

7. Harrisburg
8. Los Angeles
9. Dayton
10. Pittsburgh
11. Antigua

The USL-Pro Playoff Race; Two Weeks Left

Posted on by
Reply

If the 2012 USL-Pro Playoffs started today, the six participating teams would be Orlando, Rochester, Charleston, Wilmington, Richmond, and Harrisburg.  However, because each of these teams has between one and four games remaining in the regular season, mathematically only Orlando is safe at this point.  Any of Rochester, Charleston, Wilmington, Richmond or Harrisburg could find themselves on the outside come playoff time.  Here is a team by team description of the rest of the season for each team and what they need to do to secure postseason soccer in 2012.

Orlando City sealed up home field advantage for their postseason adventure a few weeks ago by clinching the number one position in the 2012 USL-Pro regular season table.  Even though their match at home against Dayton Dutch Lions is largely an exhibition, head coach Adrian Heath won’t let Orlando City take a night off.

Rochester Rhinos look like a safe bet to claim the number two spot and the first round playoff bye that comes with it.  The Rhinos are sitting on 38 points with two matches remaining in the regular season, at home against Charleston and Pittsburgh.  Two wins at home would put Rochester at 44 points on the season and secure a second placed finish.  If the Rhinos can defeat Charleston this Saturday August 11, they will ensure a higher finish than the Battery.  Due to the unbalanced nature of the USL schedule, however, even if the Rhinos manage 3 points from their final two games, they are still susceptible to sixth placed Harrisburg and seventh placed Charlotte if those two teams win all of their four remaining games.

Charleston Battery have amassed 34 points from 21 games and can catch the Rhinos by grabbing four points from their two other games, at Harrisburg and home to Dayton, and by getting a result at Sahlen’s Stadium.  Despite being in second place, the Rhinos have not quite turned Sahlen’s into a fortress with a 5-3-2 record, so this task is not insurmountable.  If Charleston beat the Rhinos and get a win and tie in their other games, they will leapfrog Rochester into second place.

Wilmington Hammerheads have 4 wins, 3 ties, 1 loss in their last 8 games which include stealing a point on the road from each of Charleston and Orlando.  Buoyed by superstar loan signing Corey Hertzog (New York Red Bulls), the Hammerheads are tied for second most goals scored in the league and have not lost at home all season.  Wilmington has two matches against Charlotte left in their schedule, one home and one away.  The Charlotte Eagles will be fighting for a playoff spot, so those won’t be easy matches but mathematically Wilmington can still take second place out from under the noses of Rochester and Charleston if other results go their way.  Even if they don’t get the first round bye, look for Wilmington to storm into the postseason anyway.  The team has been playing well recently and will take that good form into the playoffs.

Richmond Kickers are not safe from falling out of the playoff picture, but likewise could still claim second place if they win their remaining three fixtures.  The Kickers host Harrisburg before flying to Antigua for two games in three nights against Barracuda FC.  Antigua is 3-7-0 at home, so Richmond have a realistic chance to leaving the Caribbean with six points but the Harrisburg match will be a much harder battle.  Two wins out of three games will give Richmond 6 more points to end the regular season on 38 points.  Though it is not certain yet, it is a safe bet that 38 points will be good enough for a spot in the 2012 USL-Pro playoffs.

Harrisburg City Islanders sit in the 6th and final playoff qualifying place.  They have collected 30 points from 20 games, which means that if they win their remaining four matches they could end the season on 42 points which may be good enough for second place.  The City Islanders host Charleston, and travel to Richmond before flying cross country to face the LA Blues twice in three nights.  Harrisburg has a strong 4-3-2 record on the road and will definitely put up a fight in order to ensure a run in the playoffs this season.

Charlotte Eagles are on the outside looking in at this point in the season despite being just one point back from Harrisburg with 29 from 20 games played.  The Eagles are in the same boat as Harrisburg meaning that if they can win their remaining matches (at Pittsburgh, at Dayton, at Wilmington, and a rescheduled match at home against Wilmington) they can finish the season as a high seed for the playoffs.  Charlotte knows they need to play the best soccer of their season and will play like a team on fire in their remaining games.

Los Angeles Blues finds themselves in 8th place after earning 26 points from 20 games.  The Blues play all their remaining matches at home in a couple of two games in three nights series.  Antigua comes to California to play on August 9 and 11 before Los Angeles hosts Harrisburg on August 17 and 19.  If they win 3 out of their 4 games left in the regular season, the Blues will jump safely into the playoff spots.  Antigua hasn’t won a game away from home all season, 0-9-1 on the road, so Los Angeles should be able to get 6 points from those two games.  It will be important for Harrisburg to finish the regular season in good form so those two matches will be much harder for the Blues.

Dayton Dutch Lions have been eliminated from the 2012 USL-Pro playoffs.  Dayton needs at least 11 points to take 8th place but there are only 9 points possible from their remaining three games.  Dayton fans should take solace knowing that in 21 games this season, the Dutch Lions have doubled their wins total and in their last few games have the chance to double their points haul from last year.  In 2013, Dayton will hope to continue their improving trajectory towards their first ever USL-Pro playoff appearance.

Pittsburgh Riverhounds are sitting on the outside at this point in the season.  The Riverhounds played some encouraging soccer at times this year and I hope the fanbase will swell upon completion of their new facilities in 2013.  Unfortunately the team has allowed 35 goals for a -15 goal differential at this point in the 2012 season.

Something we’ve known for a rather long time is that Antigua Barracuda FC will not be participating in the 2012 USL-Pro playoffs.  With only 3 wins from 20 games so far this season, the Caribbean team can not muster enough points from their remaining four games to make the 6 team cut.  But it’s not all doom and gloom down on the islands, as their membership in the league was part of a plan to increase the performance of the Antiguan-Barbudan national team.  As you may remember, the national side has made it to the Third Round of CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying for the first time in history.  Even though the league results have not gone their way (due not in small part to travel and scheduling nightmares), don’t expect Antigua Barracuda FC to bow out of the USL-Pro.

Only four teams in USL-Pro know the result of their playoff hopes at this point in the season.  Antigua Barracuda FC, Pittsburgh Riverhounds, and Dayton Dutch Lions are all eliminated from the playoffs while Orlando City has know for quite awhile that it has made the postseason.  All of the other seven teams in the league are fighting for the remaining 5 playoff spots.  Mathematically, any of these seven teams can finish in second place but I would look for Rochester or Charleston to wrap up the first round playoff bye.

The cliche is shockingly accurate in the case of the 2012 USL-Pro season; it’s all to play for…

Postgame Thoughts: Rochester Outclassed by Orlando Again

Posted on by
Reply

During the first half, it was hard to believe that the Rhinos were the home team.  Orlando easily passed around and through the center of the field as if the Rochester midfielders never showed up to the game.  Depending on how you count the Rhinos’ 4-4-1-1 formation, the team plays five midfielders; on Friday night it looked like they played two in the midfield.

Danny Earls was playing in center midfield alongside Tyler Rosenlund.  Earls has been highly effective for the Rhinos this year, but only when he plays on the left wing.  Head coach Jesse Myers plays Earls inside because the team lacks a playmaking midfielder.  Myers thinks Earls can better help the team with his passing ability inside rather than providing a consistent threat down the outside.

Tyler Rosenlund’s only consistent characteristics this season have been to misplace simple passes and easy traps.  Having the first touch of a rhinoceros doesn’t necessarily mean Rosenlund should start games for the Rochester Rhinos.  Rosenlund can’t pass, trap, tackle or score.  He offers nothing to the team except as a scapegoat for criticism.  It boggles my mind that the coaching staff hasn’t been able to figure out a winning midfield combination.  In the five months since the players first started playing together for the 2012 season, Jesse Myers hasn’t yet realized that he needs a player who can pass and a player who can tackle in his midfield. Continue reading →

Match Preview: Rhinos Host Los Angeles Blues

Posted on by
Reply

The Rhinos have four games left to play this season against teams with four very different records.  On Friday the Los Angeles Blues (8th place, 7-8-2) come to visit Sahlen’s Stadium, before Orlando City (1st place, 14-1-4), Charleston Battery (3rd place, 11-7-0) and the Pittsburgh Riverhounds (10th place, 3-12-5) travel to Rochester in the next few weeks.

Los Angeles welcomed Rochester to Titan Stadium twice this season back in April and you may remember the Rhinos coming away with two wins.  Tyler Rosenlund earned Rochester a 1-0 victory a week before Hoxie and Banks served up a 2-0 win.

Not counting an odd two game series against Antigua Barracuda FC played in Florida, the Blues have a 2-4-1 record away from home.  Their only other road wins came against Dayton and Pittsburgh (two of the three worst teams in the league) in early May.

Los Angeles has undoubtedly missed Bright Dike, their star striker who was recalled by the Portland Timbers.  While Dike was on loan, he scored 6 goals and set up 2 others, which means he finished or assisted 8 of the team’s 11 goals during his stay in Los Angeles between May 8 and July 10. Continue reading →

Rhinos Run Rampant in Much Needed Win

Posted on by
Reply

The formula was simple, put a pacey forward up top and send him in behind the defense.  For the Rhinos on Wednesday night, this formula worked not once but twice in the opening twenty minutes of the game.  In fact, I was still making my way to the stands when 23 year old Kendell McFayden got on the end of a pass by Tam McManus and finished with the composure of a player who’s been in the league three years, not three matches.  Rhinos head coach Jesse Myers gave McFayden his first start since joining the team two weeks ago and the Williamsville native quickly repaid that trust by scoring in the third minute.

McFayden wasn’t satisfied with just one goal, though.  J.C. Banks recovered the ball from Antigua in a promising position and played a pass over the top for McFayden to run on to.  The speedy forward coolly finished past advancing goalkeeper Molvin James to double Rochester’s lead in the 18th minute.

The first half hour of the game was really open and it seemed goals would tumble out of it. Antigua relies on the speed of their attackers, spearheaded by Peter Byers, who also looked to probe and stretch Rochester’s back line.  On the other end of the field, Kendell McFayden looked likely to score on every attack.  The back and forth, all-out attack nature of the game was really fun to watch. Continue reading →

Rhinos Were Flat in 2-1 Home Loss to Harrisburg

Posted on by
2

Disclaimer: I wrote this piece when I got home from the match Saturday night while I was still angry so it’s pretty critical of a lot of people.

Rochester Rhinos didn’t show up for the first half of Saturday’s game.  Kristian Nicht definitely earned his paycheck by coming up huge when the game opened up in the second half.  Looking at the tactical decisions, it seemed head coach Jesse Myers was managing the game from his armchair at home.  Meanwhile Lucky Mkosana stole the show scoring his second goal against Rochester in as many games and setting up the winner for Drew Yates.

Rhinos lined up in a 4-5-1 formation with a few headscratchers.  Because Drew Cost is still injured, Myers tried to use Earls in that playmaking midfield role.  You may remember Earls dropping deep in the center to receive the ball in the match against Philadelphia.  On paper this made a bit of sense but more importantly it allowed Michael Tanke to operate as a ball winner.  Tanke was constantly closing down opponents and putting his body on the line to make hard tackles.  This midfield tandem also freed up Tyler Rosenlund to push forward.

Because Earls moved into the center of the field, Quavas Kirk pushed up from defense to play right midfield.  Argentine defender Lucas Fernandez stepped into the backline with Tyler Bellamy, Troy Roberts, and Jack Traynor.  J.C. Banks was solid playing on the left side but Traynor’s fragility forced him to defend more than he was used to.  Tam McManus started the game as a lone forward but didn’t get any service and was forced to drop deep to receive the ball in midfield.

Saturday night’s match was very disappointing.  Rhinos were outplayed at home and didn’t do much to deserve anything from the match.  Were it not for a handful of highlight reel saves by Kristian Nicht, Rochester would have suffered a much more embarrassing scoreline.  Driving home with my girlfriend and two buddies, no one said much of anything.  Someone remarked that none of us had seen the Rhinos win a league game this season because we were all still at our respective colleges when the team beat Charlotte in early May.  In case it’s not apparent yet, this is unacceptable given how much talent this team has. Continue reading →

Club Ambitions: Rochester Rhinos, New York Red Bulls, Tottenham Hotspur

Posted on by
2

Recently the topic of ambition has come up in discussions I’ve had with regard to the three teams I follow; Rochester Rhinos, New York Red Bulls, and Tottenham Hotspur.  As I consider myself first and foremost a fan of these teams, and a writer/blogger second, it’s important to me that the club feels the same way I do.

Rochester Rhinos just suffered a seven game winless streak and several fans voiced their frustrations with the “lack of ambition” of the 1999 U.S. Open Cup Champion.  Up here in Rochester we are very proud of what our city’s team achieved in the late 90s and early 2000s, but that success is a double edged sword.  The other side of the blade is that the Open Cup trophy and several league titles loom over our head. Continue reading →

Three Lower Division Teams’ Signings

Posted on by
Reply

Three important signings were announced by lower division American soccer teams on Thursday.  Orlando City (USL-Pro), Atlanta Silverbacks (NASL), and Rochester Rhinos (USL-Pro) all signed young players with lots of potential yesterday.

Let’s visit south Florida first and the club in Orlando.  I say club and not team on purpose.  Orlando City Soccer Club operates a professional team, a u23 team in the USL-PDL, a u20 team in the USL Super-20 League, and u12 through u17 teams in the USL Super Y-League.

Orlando announced that they had “promoted” a promising midfielder from their u23 team to their professional team.  Adama M’Bengue has been the most consistent player for the PDL side through 10 games this season but joins an already very talented Orlando midfield.

Heading north, let’s pop in on Atlanta Silverbacks.  The Silverbacks have a reserve team playing in the National Premier Soccer League (same league as FC Buffalo).  The club announced Thursday that they had promoted defender Chris Klute from the reserve team to the senior team.  Atlanta could use all the help it can get on their back line, the team has allowed the most goals in the league (25) and has only won a single game this season.

Speedy forward Kendell McFayden signed with the Rhinos but apparently could still play for FC Buffalo later in the summer.  McFayden was initially included in the 2012 season media guide published by the Rhinos but wasn’t listed on the team’s official roster.  When I saw that the trialist then signed with FC Buffalo I thought something was a little odd.  The other two stories involved teams from the same club and the vertical progression of a player to the senior team.  McFayden’s trip is a bit different because the Rhinos organization doesn’t operate a reserve team or have a presence in the USL-PDL, NPSL, or USL’s Super-20 League.  However, an exciting aspect of this deal (besides the potential of the player himself) is the pipeline this creates for future players.  Perhaps more players from FC Buffalo, which features high school standouts from Sections V and VI as well as college talent from both the Buffalo and Rochester areas, could find themselves training or even signing contracts with the Rhinos in the next few years.

McFayden is clearly a prize for the NPSL side and has proven his class throughout this season.  He joins a Rhinos forward corp that has struggled to find the net so far in 2012; the team as a whole has only scored 13 goals in 13 games.  In fact, the four strikers who have played so far this season have only combined for three goals and one assist.  Graciano Brito has one goal from 11 shots in 597 minutes.  Andrew Hoxie has one goal on 12 shots in 469 minutes.  Isaac Kissi has only played 43 minutes across two games as he tries to recover fitness.  Tam McManus plays the withdrawn forward role but only has one goal and one assist to show for himself.  Clearly the team needs a fresh approach up top.

I recently pinpointed an effective forward as one of two improvements the Rhinos can make to easily turn their fortunes from a stuttering slump to an unbeatable championship quality run. Perhaps McFayden can provide the spark up front that the Rhinos need to get back to winning ways.