Disappointing if he has gone for money. According to Peter Smith on Twitter, Leeds have been making contingency plans just in case so it will be interesting to see if anybody should come in.

Cameron Smith. World class hooker, organiser and kicker. Kill two birds with one stone. Jobs a good un.

No chance.

Come on that's a bit unfair. It is not his fault he joined a top club later in life. Like he said, it is only a short playing career, and he can hardly be blamed for trying to make up his pension at this time of his career.

Shame we are losing him, pretty gutted, but good luck to him.

I'd have to agree with that, He's 30 and may be about to sign his last pro rugby contract

[iGary Hetherington said, "It is not come as a surprise because Paul rejected a new 3-year contract from us and told us of interest from other clubs some time ago, but it is always disappointing when a player of Paul's standing decides to leave the club. He is a full overseas quote player, so that provides us with some flexibility for 2016 and the search for another good player is on and will take as long as it needs to."
[/i

Houghton or Lunt look probable domestically.

But with an overseas spot now vacant, wonder if Uncle Gary will continue in growing the ozzie beard pack?

No problem with him moving on, but that's the choice he's made. Let's not paint it as anything else. Given their appalling away form he's got naff all chance of winning anything at the Dragons, but he's happy to put up with that because he'll be financially well rewarded for a couple of years.

It's a choice that quite a few players at Leeds could have made over the course of their careers but chose not to, if we are to believe the skipper's (2011?) Grand Final speech. Different people are motivated by different things in their professional lives.

Big rumours on the replacement front are still Danny Houghton and Manly's Matt Ballin. Would be underwhelmed with the latter, not because he's necessarily a bad player - second best Queensland hooker behind Cameron Smith over the last few years - but because he'll be 32 come next January and doesn't offer much in the way of longer term continuity.

This is a big loss for next year. I know Houghton has been muted as an addition for next year, but i wouldn't swap Aiton for anyone else in Super League at the moment.

Would be very happy with Houghton and think he's a better player TBH.
He looks far better at Hull than Aiton did at Wakefield..

He's been really good this season and it's a shame he's going, but hard to blame a pro player for looking for the best deal towards the end of his career, particularly if it happens to be Catalans (as rumoured) and a chance to experience a different lifestyle and culture.

Houghton would be a good like-for-like replacement, IMO. He has a similar skillset to Aiton and it'd be interesting to see how he'd go in a better pack. Ballin's on the outer at Manly and we wouldn't lose anything in terms of quality if we recruited him, but we're a bit top-heavy with Aussies at the moment, in my opinion, especially in the pack. But if the option is that or Burrow as a full-time 9 then Waltzing Matilda all the way.

^
This

But I do wonder how much is about cash and how much about lifestyle. I would have thought if it was just about cash, GH ought o have been able to find a way to keep him.