Message to self Don’t upset the Big Mick fanboys,

You might consider me a fanboy, I was the one who picked up on your comment. I’m not a fanboy, in fact I think Mik hasn’t kicked on from his early promise, but equally I think he’s the best prop we have, in fact the only genuine prop that is regularly fit. I’d like us to sign two that are better than him, then we are heading in the right direction in the pack.

Hit the nail on the head there. I don't think anybody is suggesting that Mik (who is two or three years off his prime) is an international class prop yet. He is simply easily the best prop at Headingley. The only time he's ever had a decent battery of props around him was very briefly with Ava and Prior, and he prospered then. He needs another couple of experienced, quality front rowers sharing the load and with any luck he might start to thrive again.

Ava and Prior ???? Not sure about that Arthur. I do know Leeds Rhinos took many years off Matt Priors life the way they absolutely flogged him to death. They were negligent towards his well-being and he was rendered totally ineffective at times with the amount of minutes they made him play. Hetherington and the management should be ashamed of themselves the way they treated him.

Check the teamsheet for the 2020 Cup final, old fruit. They played 8, 10, and 13 respectively. No coincidence that they also trampled over Wigan in the semi. We briefly had a decent set of middle forwards. I realise and recognise that GH has made mistakes in recent times, but accusing him of taking years off a man's life seems a wee bit hysterical, not to mention libelous.

Don’t think you quite get me Arthur, take me with a pinch of salt. Obviously they didn’t take years off his life, but he was flogged to death. He played mostly at prop and he never once bust a tackle or put a defender on his backside in his years at Leeds. He played far too many minutes because we didn’t have the required quality props to relieve him. Typical Hetherington, signing back rowers like Bodene Thomson and Donaldson and trying to play them as props. Cheapskate.

Yes just checked the team sheet for he 2022 final Arthur. Donaldson, Walter’s and Bodene Thomson as interchange props. All second rowers, scary men.

ININOUTOUT
So what's your point? I was saying we had two good props alongside Oledski in 2020. Your now talking about 22. Ava was long gone, Prior was 33 or 34, Tetavano was well, Tetavano. Two different teams.

You brought up 2022 not me. Don’t know what you were trying to prove by highlighting the fact that Hetherington’s interchange props for a Grand Final were all second rowers. My point is Ava was a prop sized prop and I don’t think Prior was an orthodox body shape for a prop and was just used to play big minutes without the real impact of a prop. He never broke a tackle, struggled to get us off our line and didn’t damage opposition players. He played big minutes and was involved in lots of tackles, but his impact was reduced because for me he wasn’t an orthodox prop. The only player with the body shape of an orthodox prop in that squad was Ava. That’s my point, Mik wasn’t playing alongside two decent props, he was playing alongside Ava and Prior who did okay considering he wasn’t a traditional prop.

Read my post. I mentioned 2020, when we had two good props to support Oledski You then mentioned 2022. Whether or not you think Prior was orthodox prop is not the point. He was a prop. He played for Cronulla as a prop, he played for NSW as prop. In short - he was a prop. Your opinions are your opinions, but they are not the facts.

My twopenneth is that Mik is obviously our best prop. But he's also not shown he alone is capable of standing up to more physical packs - at any one time we normally have just two props on the field, and in most of our whippings in recent years Mik has been in the mix and completely unable to stem the tide. That's why some fans from other clubs who've had our measure think he's a complete nonentity.

The question is how much better he would look alongside some really decent support. I think he'd look a different player. Right now of all our props he is the one the opposition would target, because he's the best we have - knock him down and the rest turn to jelly. Add a big bruiser who draws in and - heaven forbid - knocks over defenders and suddenly Mik isn't the centre of attention any more.

At least I hope that's the way it works when we do sign some serious big boppers. Mik will never be a blaster of a prop, laying waste to opponents like a peak Walmsley. But he is and will continue to be a very solid workhorse.

My apologies Arthur, just looked back and you did say 2020 initially. Too many Guinness Porters and my reluctance to wear reading glasses meant I saw 2022, hence my confusion and references to said Grand Final. Have a good day.

I never said that - what I am saying is the opinion of Oldeski being a leader to build your pack around is fantasy. He had one good year. His last two seasons have been very poor. If you think there aren't four better props out there that could be included in the squad again I think your view on Oldeski is out of kilter with what we see on the pitch.

The problem is that he hasn't been carrying the pack - his performances are no better than the others. He doesn't make great yards and his tackling has always been suspect. He is part of the problem.

He has been the only prop consistently making 100+ metres all season (and last).

Mik has shown in previous season that when he has some help with decent props he's a quality player.

We'll just have to agree to disagree, I suspect BA (and he has said so) see's what Mik can bring to the team especially when fully fit.