Both sides of this debate will apply to different players. Sure a lot of players will come over here purely for the buck even if it is for a low standard club. But some players will actually come over here and want to enjoy themselves. Danny Buderus is a perfect example. To me he looks like a player that has not just come over to the UK for the cash, he comes across as a player that desperately wants to win trophy's. I can't see him signing for a team like Crusaders thats for sure. There will be players out there that have sacrificed 10% of the wage to be at a higher club.

Such a shame we didn't keep Diskin around to earn another winner's medal for him then.

Trophy's what?

Our crowds were on the rise for years prior to our move to Widnes, actually. Last season we had an average of 11,500. We'll be hit badly this year but that should right itself next.

We haven't spent big, incidentally. We've been shedding players like nobody's business for the last four seasons. In 2009 and 2010 we recruited just one player in each season: Tony Puletua and then Sol Soliola (who was out injured for the whole of his first season). This season we recruited LMS, Perry and Shenton but we thought we had our halves sorted in Pryce and Eastmond. We would not have bought Hohaia if Eastmond had opted to stay. But we had to let a number of players go to fund Eastmond.

We have won plenty, thanks. Just not in the last two years. We've still managed to reach Grand Finals and finish in the top two (for six consecutive years) so things haven't been that bad.

Hohaia has been recruited for his utility value as well as his ability to play in the halves, where we are now short of staff. We may need to purchase a prop forward also, having dispatched of three last season to fund Eastmond (unfortunate). But other than that I can't see us buying any other players for next season.

If Widnes/Crusaders offered £5k-10k more per year than Saints, I reckon a top drawer player would still sign for Saints.

Cash is one thing, chance to play at OT/Wembley etc comes into the mix in a big way I reckon, as would looking back on your career CV and seeing a big English RL club on there as opposed to Crusaders or Quins.

The in's an outs at Saints next year will depend on how we go keeping Puletua and Graham.

We may need 1 prop or it could be 2. Our Academy props have been sold to other teams.

But I see from the lists on the first page that Peacock maybe up for grabs. Now there would be a coup if we could get our hands on him.

Sinfields 2009 GF speech was full of lies then.

Sinfields GF speech was spot on. But he wasn't talking about the overseas players, or the ones bought in like Senior and Peacock either.

He was talking about the homegrown academy produced. But I think you already knew that.

Thought he was a full back ?

I reckon he'll play at 6/7 in 2012 to support Lomax/Gaskell, then switch to 1 in 2013 after Wellens' contract ends (assuming Lomax is to continue at 6/7 rather than 1 in the long term).

He's a great signing for Saints.

Agree with all of the above and potentially could be very good for saints.

I think money does play a big part of moving over here but don't think it is the be all and end all for all players

I agree, it's a mixture of several factors. Depends on the player, how old he is, what he's already achieved, if he has mates at a club already or had mates who have said "it's a great club" or "it's a terrible club" etc. These are still young guys (yes, I now think 30 year olds are basically children) and a good time (not getting trashed every week - well on the pitch anyway) will potentially come into play. But money is a big, big chunk of that consideration also.
The original point was made that Leeds would be unattractive because "we won't be challengeing for trophies". I think only our own supporters think we won't continue to be a force in SL permenantly with the way the club is set up and the way the salary system now works. Our own supporters would see the Mick Potter experiment (or how to take Saints to two potless years) as a cunning rebuilding excercise, I'm sure in Saint Helens there were more pessamistic appraisals. We now have the prospect - although it's still only a prospect - of two trophyless seasons of our own. The difference is? [sizewe won three GF's in a row prior to winning nothing last year.[/size
We have some players to move on and some players coming through - particularly in the backs. We also seem to have a new coach to find for next year (and it's only April!!!!). I don't think for one minute that if Leeds go out and recruit aggressively there would be any issues that wouldn't affect any other club. I think we are an attractive employer, if anything too loyal to some players.

Oh yes!

It is Royce Simmons who is doing the rebuilding.

Our last few overseas signings have been/seem likely to be relative duds. IMO if there's one area of recruitment we seem to have cut back on to the side's detriment, then that's it.

There is almost no point in signing any overseas player who isn't going to be a regular in the first team. If you look at their NRL careers, and where Leeds want to be in challenging for trophies, then I'd never have looked at Cross or Delaney, whilst Hauraki was possibly worth a punt because he did well in SL last year. If Hetherington thought Cross would be some kind of star prop or Delaney a centre likely to be as good as Senior then he needs his eyes testing.

That's a separate issue entirely from whether Leeds as a club would be attractive to young players. In years gone by Leeds would have to have been one of the least attractive clubs to join due to a massive preference for big-name signings. But surely the three issues that would matter to a young player would be (in no particular order and excluding the lads that join a club because they support them) - money, chance to play first team, and possibility of winning trophies.

Money I have no idea about (and nor does anyone else on here). In terms of chances to play first team, then apart from a few positions which have been locked up (stand off, loose forward) I'd argue a talented kid has as much chance of breaking into the first team at Leeds as anywhere else.

As for trophies, there are probably only 5 teams in with a realistic shout (us, Sts, Wire, Wigan and possibly Huddersfield if you're looking short term). Until the CC Final last year Leeds would have been ahead in the betting against most of the other teams in that group, or at least on a par. So I can't see who we have missed out - so far - on on that basis either. Of course if we seem to be dropping out of contention for the foreseeable future then that might change, but nobody can say that yet.