I agree with much of this but you have to be able to pull it out of the bag when it matters. McGuire is another player who is capable of raising his game when it matters - that isn't about training, he does it too often and 2003 he was teenager in his first year as pro, that's a mental attitude about personal standards/belief/desire to impact the game and a genuine not wanting to let your team mates down something JJB talks about a lot.

Golding will have fielded hundreds of bombs in training so he will have the technical ability just not that will/determination to perform that task when it mattered. Nathan Graham is one, Ben Crookes is another hopefully Golding is made of stronger stuff

The Golding drops didn't cost us the game on Friday. Infact, we were well in the game long after his mistakes which were in the first period so it shouldn't be getting compared with howlers that have cost big games and cup finals and ruined careers. He is still very young and raw and will never have experienced what he did on Friday, but the true test will be from now and how he responds. He could turn it into a positive, by going away and improving that side of his game and next time he is in that position (could be as early as tonight) deal with it better. Like i have said previously, Handley seems to have done just that and the players that have a serious future in the game usually find a way, hopefully Golding will.

Fact checker - Golding definitely dropped the first bomb of the second half. Got away with that one as Huddersfield lobbed a miss out pass wide which Watkins deflected into touch - or no doubt as some would tell you, Watkins missed a simple intercept and guaranteed four/six pointer.

Thanks, had forgotten that one.

The one that went straight between his hands just over his head? Yeah, add me to the "missed a simple intercept" column on that one.

Mind you, he couldn't catch passes from his own side on Friday so there wasn't much danger of him catching one from the opposition.

Spot on, he messed that up big time. Didn't go to deflect it at all, went for the simple catch and failed.

What I will change my mind on though is that he'd have gotten downfield if he caught it. He jumps for it and pretty much lands into Ormsby arms on landing so would've been tackled straight away..:::but at least we'd have had the ball back and not once again defending our line.

I've seen loads of those dropped. Depends very much on when you realize there is a chance you may be able to catch the ball. There is a reason you spend years telling kids when they start playing rugby to have their hands out, thumbs forward and eyes on the ball when receiving a pass. It's very harsh to criticize a defender for not making an intercept. He got hands on and defended the play, it he'd jumped out of the line, missed it and conceded a try then fair enough.

I didn't say he went to deflect it, I imagine he went to catch it. In order to catch it he was both feet off the ground, arms extended above his head and landed into Gene Ormsby's tackle within ten of the Leeds line. If that was the incident described elsewhere as Watkins missing an easy try scoring opportunity then I'd respectfully disagree.

So he did miss a simple catch then?

As for the rest of your post, you make it sound like he was in a RU line out. The pass wasn't some crisp one-man missed out cut out pass, it was a big unnecessary looping pass that missed out 3 guys and Watkins could've made a brew whilst waiting for it to reach him. Ormsby had time to realise it wasn't going to reach him and adjust himself to be ready to tackle Watkins but Watkins fluffed his lines.

Golding was a lot better last night. Was a brave display after last week.

And the subject of this thread looks better every week. On our first try in particular I didn't notice a lack of pace.

Lilley's not lightning quick but he's not as slow as some. He looks to have most of the basic the elements of a very good halfback. He can pass and kick, which puts him about 50% better than most British halfbacks at his age. Interceptions also smack very much of someone who can read play.

What he doesn't have is an experienced partner, or any experience at all of playing in a decent team. Three of his games last year were bad losses during the tired run at the end of the season. Judging any of the younger players on this year's performances is really harsh. There are a bunch of far more experienced players who ought to be damned on the basis of what they've dished out this year before you get anywhere near criticising the likes of Lilley, Golding, Handley and even Sutcliffe.

I was thinking about Sutcliffe and wondering whether maybe he should move to centre for a year or so. John Holmes took years to become a regular 6, as did Schofield and others before him. Again I'd say Sutcliffe has the makings of a class 6, but it's a big ask for him to try to learn in such a poor environment. He has less excuses than Lilley, but not by much IMO.

Ellery, John Joyner are others, who ended up as loose forwards, which is where I would see Sutcliffe naturally developing into, if it hadn't become a third prop.