Two of the same type except one drops the ball all the time and gives away silly penalties.

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the responses, its interesting to read the thoughts of people who see these guys week in week out, its probably hard to come by a second rower these days, Hudds have purchased about 12 and put them in the centre/prop/hooker/loose forward positions.

I think your props will be fine for next year and half of the battle is producing the youngsters to step up when you get a few injuries/retirements, which Leeds are notoriously good at. At Hudds we seem to be able to develop decent outside backs, but since Crabtree came through 10-12 years ago we have probably struggled in this area. Jacob Fairbank looks a real decent prospect for us but one a decade isnt good enough.

When Griff was at Hudds he was probably one of the more solid forwards, always made good yards, played decent minutes and usually was strong in defence, i think your right about him needing more game time/starting, i dont really think he has much impact from the bench.

It's a shame about Clarkson, when he came through i thought he would be a strong replacement for Sinfield who could develop into a top player, albeit not with the kicking game of Sinfield, he reminded me of a young Steven Wild. Seems you have many options coming through the academy to fill these areas.

Good luck in the playoffs.

Personally I think he has the ability to play a key role in our pack. As a forward I think he brings hard graft and a bit of niggle, along with good handling, and low error rates. He runs the best angles of any of the forwards, and can put people through gaps.

As a centre I think he is big and strong, and though not the fastest its not something that causes him trouble. As a centre he's probably as good at putting his winger away as anyone else at the club, through knowledge of the game, vision and good footwork. His combination of size and ability to make the pass mean he is a threat whenever he's near the line, when he is attacking against smaller opponents

My view remains he plays his best attacking rugby at centre where if a pass is on he'll at least look to give it - I don't notice him doing that anything like as much when in the back row where he'll bash it forward without ever hinting at busting through the other side. Defensively he is generally sound although less effective when left to make a one on one where he's all too often left thumping his fist into the ground in frustration rather than his opponent. Defensively centre/second row are interchangable at Leeds and he adapts to either role well, whether defending three or four in from the touchline.

I think he's a retaliator rather than a niggler. His involvement in incidents appears to be mainly after receiving a dig rather than after giving one. I prefer forwards who scare their opposition, Ablett simply doesn't.

Don't get me wrong i'm a fan of Ablett's and glad he signed a new contract this year and that's a pretty spot on assessment of him. That's why i said he was a good player but that still doesn't mean he can be labelled as a 'great' second rower. In my time of watching Leeds i've seen Adrian Morley, Ali Lauitiiti and Gareth Ellis all play second row who i would put in the 'great' category and i don't think you can say Ablett is the same level as those individuals, players who you knew every other club would love to have and even plenty in the NRL too, so again i'll go with good but not great.