Quote: Keith Swiftcorn "That extra bit of luck, the rub of the green, the winning try from a forward pass or from being offside... these are all things which the top teams often benefit from because they get themselves in a position to do exactly that. They possess that extra edge to their game.
For Leeds, they used to benefit from such fortune on a regular basis but no longer because they've lost their competitive edge on a consistent basis. The squad is over the hill and they can no longer be considered one of the top contender teams. The only thing left for them is to provide nuisance value against the top teams. They've failed miserably to do this because there's simply not enough left in the tank with this ageing squad. They've been able to raise their performance only twice all season and it's no coincidence that's been against Wigan as they've treated both those games like must win games or Cup Finals. They can no longer maintain that level week in, week out.'"
That sums it up very well for me. Wigan were lucky to get away with that. We didn't play our best (although we weren't poor), but now have that "winning edge" that Leeds used to have.
Jamie Peacock, as good as he is, can't be expected to take on the job of the entire pack on his own, but your other props were poor. McGuire's still a class player but not in the best of form. I used to get worried every time Burrow got the ball a few years back, but now he seems to have completely lost his way. You've got some decent youngsters in the outside backs though.
Every team waxes and wanes over the years, it's inevitable. You've had a few great years, you'll probably now have a few average ones, just like us.