I will be renewing my season ticket again this year.
I want to guarantee that I retain my favoured seat in the Carnegie Stand.
That is less important for season ticket holders in all the standing areas of the ground.
I don't relish seeing the Rhinos underperform but the times that they exceed my normal pessimistic expectation makes the disappointments bearable.
Having lived through the constant underachievement of the 80s & 90s, I can more forgivably accept the occasional loss to Salford, Huddersfield or Wakefield.
Plus this year the cost to me reduces since I'm now in Rhinos terms officially an old giffer.

I've got a vague memory of Noble saying something along the lines of seeing other players being better than Sinfield in the positions Sinfield plays. I don't recall anything about Noble's view also including any comment about Sinfield limiting himself or even expressing a preference for a particular position.

Hypocrite

One thing that can't be denied is that Noble didn't like Leeds during that period. In fact, for didn't like, read hate! JP alludes to it in his auto biography. That Leeds could only manage 1 player in the starting 13 for the 2004 tri-nations fixtures also backs this up, bearing in mind Leeds were beyond any doubt the best team in SL.

The form of Leeds players was irrelevant to Noble, the face didn't fit.

I'll be blunt.

I believe you have completely made it up.

In fairness you may simply be mistaken. I will state categorically that Noble never made any Comments about Sinfield being excluded because he stated a preference for a set position.

My evidence in support. The complete absence of any link to any such material. Also, the links I have provided where Noble has given his reasons for exclduing Sinfield and they are in no way shape or form like those you have attributed to him.

I'm guessing that 1 was Senior?
Didn't Walker, McGuire, Ward, Bailey & Diskin also play in that series though? I have a vague recollection of them playing and Diskin doing his knee I think.

Yes, big Keith flew the flag for Leeds, the others had various bench warming roles. The exception being that fateful (& meaningless) match against the kiwi's which started and finished Disko's international career. We had 3 starters in that game with Chev Walker & Danny Ward on the bench

100% agree. I don't think you have to completely swap consistency for being good when it counts. We could have been a good way below our "peak" and still picked up 4-6 more league points, and been a bit closer in some games we have lost.

That said, in defence of the current squad, we're now in our second successive season of playing in every single available competitive round (with the addition of the WCC this year) of every single competition. In 2010 I think the only one we didn't play in was the GF ( or did we get to sit a week of the play-offs out after winning at Piedome?). As a fairly large number of the players have played in the bulk of England's fixtures in that period too, there has to be a toll on the body. How many matches have Sinfield and Hall, for example, played in the last 3 seasons? Versus how many they've missed? We are I think, to a degree, prisoners of our own success.

An extremely valid point. I believe Sinfield played in 42 games during 2011, the GF will be game 38 for 2012. A, frankly, ludicrous number of games for such a tough sport. Given the regular season fixtures are of least importance it's no surprise thats where we fall behind. It's also THE main reason we can't touch the Aussies in my opinion (but that's another story)

Is the same situation happening in reverse? Lots of Leeds players in the squad despite a moderate season (ignoring the play-offs)

Indeed, as much as I would rather not have McNamara as the national coach, he is the only one to give Sinfield an extended run in his preferred position. I assume he sees the big match mentality of the Leeds squad, not their indifferent form

I agree. I think despite people slagging him off he's done a pretty decent job with England

Can't argue with that mate although i do think that could have been handled differently at times with some reasonable squad rotation especially the pack and possibly Sinny had some results gone our way.

McDermott doesn't seem to buy into the rotation idea at all. With McDermott it seems to be all about toughness. We'll be tougher, more intense and play harder. Rotation to give rests doesn't fit in with that. I've heard some scary stuff from London players about what they used to go through. I'm actually surprised our players get water on the pitch
Whilst I don't entirely agree with the approach, you can't argue with results.