That partly depends what role you think they played in the squad last year. Hence the repeated question to Tad.
AFAIK, last year and this year, the club have named a 25 or 26 man first team squad, as they have most recent years.

It was an open question and certainly not aimed at you tad.

To answer my own question I would say that the squad is smaller in number and weaker in quality this season than it has been for the last two Championship winning ones.

That is not a failure in coaching although that obviously appears to be another issue on most of this season's showings.

I'm not the one hiding behind my screen and keyboard, afraid to answer a couple of simple questions:

What role did those two players play in their time here?
Who played those roles this season?

aw well at least the reserves won

i know mate, and that is the point i was, clearly, making. the squad may be the same size but we have not the quality of recent seasons or the strength in depth of previous seasons.
we have certainly a weaker pack than in recent seasons both in quality and depth.

i agree our pack is not as deep or as strong, we are obviously missing ellis and his replacement eastwood.

players like kirke, ablett and burgess do have occasional good games but are not consistent hence why we we are losing a few games at the moment.

More reaction. www.therhinos.co.uk/news/7191.php www.therhinos.co.uk/news/7192.php www.therhinos.co.uk/news/7194.php

More reaction. www.therhinos.co.uk/news/7191.php www.therhinos.co.uk/news/7192.php www.therhinos.co.uk/news/7194.php

So I'm guessing we were $h1t again?

So I'm gueesing we were cluless in attack again?

So I'm guessing our ever weakening forward pack got ted again?

I'm just guessing mind as I wasn't at the match, I was actually watching a pack with some cajones sticking it to Stains. But hey, there's always next year, we can just have a rest this year and watch other teams win stuff. We used to enjoy it for years and years.

It's got nothing to do with depth. Our first choice 6 and the bench are not good enough anymore. We have some players who have run out of gas or are not being developed adequately.
I'd be very dissapointed if they are all playing like wet lettuces because they have thrown their teddies out over Buderus's reputed large salary.

Step Up the rovers, We need to take these chances and could close the gap

2008

As the CC game was V Celtic I'll replace it with the next SL Reg Rd for a more reasonable comparison.

2008

2009

Could that in part suggest that McClennan has a smaller group of players to work with this season than last?

The league table after 11 SL rounds last season showed Leeds with a four point advantage at the top.

Leeds Played 11, Won 9, Drawn 0, Lost 2, Pts For 326, Pts Agst 116 Pts 18

This season at the same point it's:

Leeds Played 11, Won 7, Drawn 0, Lost 4, Pts For 243, Pts Agst 151 Pts 14

Apart from the obvious regarding the losses, the attack is down 83 points while the defence is up 35 points, that's a fair old decline in 12 months.

The sooner the major prize prize money is awarded to the league leaders the better, if 100k was on the line, these results would not happen, the games a fix, lose to salford & quins at home but still in the mix com october. do you think leeds would be 3 players short all year if this was the case, gary promising a major signing the day before the season tickets go on sale. saints go 4 clear then lose at home to sh*te but hay-ho....still top, how many times does this happen!!!, there is more consistency in WWF. SL becoming a stage managed product. Pick who u want to play in the play offs??? whats all that about?. all we need now is a upturn for celtic, stevo shouting theres a place for SL wales!!! won't be long. watch this space.

Graham you will never get Richie to give you a straight answer - when his arguement is defeated - often very easy to do - he will squirm a bit and change the debate if you follow any of his arguements the one he originally starts with is completely different to the one he ends with.

You have to put him on the spot then he has nowhere to go and he will stop posting on that thread simply really.

As I have said before he reminds me of my kids when they are trying to argue - it is childish

It is obvious to everyone that the squad this year is not as strong as last year - Richie arguement is that replacing Ellis/Scruton/Toopi with a younger player doesn't weaken the squad because other players will improve to fill the gap.

This is completely flawed because for every young player coming through you have an older player going backwards e.g. Senior/Peacock/Kylie/Diskin plus you have players who overperform for a couple of years who are unable to maintain that level JJB/Donald.

In all sports teams you need competition for places to bring out the natural competitiveness of players when you have a weaker squad that disappears who is going to replace the players who aren't playing well - Kirke and JJB were both very poor last night and have been for many weeks so who can we bring in to replace them? Burrow's confidence is shot who can we bring in to give him time to get back? Peacock is 30+ and cannot play every week who can we bring in to replace him and still play 4 props?

Perhaps Richie could answer some of the points above expose his opinions for critique rather than the sly way he goes about trying to infuriate others?

This is what I would do for next week

1. Buderus has to start
2. Play Sinfield at 6 and McGuire at 7 as the organiser
3. Play Watkins at left centre and Gibson at right and Senior in the second row
4. Burrow/JJB rested Kirke/Kylie dropped
5. Play Diskin in the 2nd row and bring McShane back in

This whole side needs a shake up and redefining of the structures and the play