Hardaker
Briscoe Watkins Handley Hall
White Sutcliffe
Singleton Aiton Bailey
Achurch Ward
Walters

Minchella Golding Kirke Clarkson

Will be interesting to see how Sutcliffe goes. Today he's the 'experienced' member of the halfbacks so hopefully really takes the control out there as too often he seems to take a back seat when he's been partnered by Sinfield or McGuire.

for me he's a far better 13 than 6

Well done you must be so pleased with yourself.




"perhaps"!!! indicates that perhaps you did not underestimated the players. Either way you were wrong but you just cannot bring yourself to admit that you were so wrong. Lets us remind ourselves of what you posted in 2011



...and now "perhaps" you can my answer which you have avoided which was

I do not think that Maguire's comparatively brief spell had anything to do with the already successful and ongoing junior development set up at Wigan. To award him accolades for this and to attempt to denigrate Brian McDermott by implying poor development transition at Leeds is a cheap shot and a failure to understand how rugby clubs operate.

Maguire was certainly a catalyst for change not only at Wigan but throughout the SL. He brought with him the tactic of slowing down the PTB with a 4th tackler flopping on the already tackled player. A ploy that now pervades the entire league with negativity another reason for some of the mediocrity you mentioned. Maguire also brought a more slick and structured use of the dummy runner or blocker or let us call it what it is obstruction.

While ever this "outstanding core group of players" maintain their places at Leeds our game style will still rely "heavily on individual plays" and something which I hope will continue with their replacements as I much prefer to watch traditional rugby skills than gridiron football.

My understanding of the Bradford selections was that Handley was down to play but failed to turn up in time and a late team change had to be made.

I notice that you now regard the SL as "flawed" in much the same way as you now choose to deride the OPTA stats which for so long happily filled your postings. You must be devastated to have spent so much time copying and collating records of the "flawed (and soon to be dumped) format"

Brian McDermott has already established a better legacy than any rival SL coach during the time since his appointment as first team coach at Leeds. 2 Championships, a WCC and 3 Cup final appearances despite the fact that the outstanding core players are well past their best.

Correct. He does seem to coast in games, so hopefully he will stamp his authority and take his chance by the scruff of the neck.

The turnaround at Wigan is more to do with Ian Lenagan taking over at the end of 2007. It took him a couple of seasons to get things into order and reaps the rewards. Maguire was a right man at the right time. For all that talk of Wigan youngsters.....only 3 players that made their debuts under Maguire from the academy are still at Wigan, Charnley, Farrell and Hughes (and the latter isn't exactly a key figure there).

Much like Tony Smith here, Maguire came at just the right time. Just when Sam Tomkins was ready to become a star and with the Melbourne Storm guys coming over to add to the squad. Add also the timing of Leeds and Saints having to go through varying transitions after dominating the 2007-2009 period and not exactly being at their best during the Maguire years (even though we both still got to the 2011 GF) then it all came along nicely for him.

Even in Wigan's GF success of 2013 only 4 players from the 17 came from the academy post Maguire's hiring, the 3 aforementioned ones plus Dom Crosby. You could perhaps say a 5th in Thornley who was part of Wigan's academy but went to Sale for a while in RU.

Noble pretty much put most of that team together, taking them from relegation to the brink of the grand final (they lost 3 gf semi's on the trot under noble). Maguire came in and added the finishing touches. Their nrl structured attack and tackling ''technique'' and control of the ruck. They've not really lost any of that since, but they've lost alot of stars. That 2010 team was pretty tasty. If you look at the players they've lost since then......

Leneghan has done a real remarkable job with recruitment since then. They had a completly new halfback pairing last season and won the double. The signing of smith and green was extremley clever, probably the best halfback pairing in the league and on a budget wage I imagine.

Leeds leading 24-8 - almost half time

Golding might get on in 2nd half to rest Hardaker

Really, what posters do I continuously stand behind or jump on their bandwagon? Can you list some proper examples or are you just reaching? Please don't tell me that that one single post jokingly saying "you've just got served" is all you have, that would be pathetic.

I admit I get into some arguments on here but they come off me standing my ground in an argument of my own accord and not the chipping in you do in support of others. In rugby terms you're like the constant 3rd man into the tackle lending his weight but never the first guy in. Even with my run-ins with the likes of Gotcha I can respect him because he makes his points and stands his ground honestly and isn't afraid to argue his case......you on the other hand just chime in on the back of others debates with repeated regularity and no one on this board is a better example of hiding behind other posters than yourself, it's actually cringeworthy how much you do it and seemingly don't realise.

Wigan have always produced quality juniors - before Bell, with Bell and since Bell.

What Maguire introduced was structute on the field and a no excuses culture. Importantly that structure is replicated throughout the grades within the club so when juniors are introduced to the 1st grade they know their role. That transition appears seamless, very few look out of their depth, unknowns become reliable squad members within a matter of a couple of outings.

Does this happen at Leeds?

No, but it doesn't happen at Wigan either. The first team at Wigan doesnt play the same way as the u19's. They also have brought players in from outside in most of the key positions. It's much easier for a second row to slot in to a first team than a half back.
Also these reliable squad members after a couple of outings also put in poor performances over the season. Losing to Bradford and only drawing with Hull KR for instance.

So not down to Maguire then?

We've never played the same type of structured game IMV so not a criticism that should be laid solely at McDermott's feet.

Since 2004, I would argue that our results overall, despite that lack, have been better than Wigan.
Would I like to see more structure in our play? Yes, but that's been true for a long time. The issue is that we have got away with it due the outstanding ability of a few key individual players, that era may be due to end soon.
Hence why I believe that now we need to appoint an assistant coach full-time.
On that I'm sure we can both agree.
To do otherwise is false economy.

I don't want to see more structure in our play. I think we have enough as it is. Just because we aren't doing the same play over and over again like Wigan do doesn't mean we don't play with structures.

What I want to see is 2 extra props at Leeds as we only have 2 and a young lad at the moment.

I agree with you. I too do not want to see more structure if it is the sort of boring obstruction moves and laying on in the ruck. The attraction of rugby for me is to see the individual talents of the likes of Watkins and Burrow. In the more structured set up you can get away with 2nd rowers in the centres as it is all about power and painting by numbers.

As you say Leeds do play within certain structures or frameworks for both defence and attack. In attack we allow the players more individual freedom than some because we have players with individual skills. However all structures only work when the players are on form and have the timing perfect. I am sure if you watched Wigan week in week out you would see that they too have plenty of off days.