When you eat that amount you need 2 ar***

Three, surely?

Well based on Liam Hoods performance (or lack of) yesterday it's McShane back in for me next week.

Is it significant that in all the recent 'hooker news' there has been an ominous silence with regards to McShane ?

We've signed a hooker/back rower, have one potentially injured and let another hooker go out on loan. To be honest his position shouldn't change. Ultimately, it's all down to him whether he wants to succeed.

Maybe McDermott is rethinking the need for an out-and-out hooker on the bench? No idea but he does talk about Lunt being a utility forward. Maybe he feels that whilst he wants someone to cover hooker, and maybe give Burrow a rest for 10-20 minutes, its a waste of a bench spot if they can't really cover for/help spell anyone else?

Could be right. IMO it is more important to have another pivotal playmaker type (or 2) on the bench than a 2nd pure specialist. The roles of half back and hooker have morphed in recent times and Burrow has proved that a hooker does not have to include in his repertoire a high tackle count to make a match winning impact providing you have backrowers and centres that can put in some extra tackles.

The sooner we move from the predicable 'pick 4 forwards on the bench' routine (and worse 4 props on the bench) the sooner we will improve the entertainment value. These days backrowers are better value than most props as they tend to have better hands, can make as many or more metres, make more tackles and play more minutes and be able to play in different position.

But I much prefer to see players on the bench that can make a game changing impact rather than just give the first choices a rest. Too often this has been confused with big props who just run into contact and come on to give a rest to another big prop that just runs into contact. IMO better to bench a head up playmaker or a pacy try scorer or a good attacking kicker to turn around a game you are losing.

Do you have any specific examples of this tactic being employed?

According to Mac on SL extra McShane out with a stinger and Rob won't be back for three weeks.

If Mcshane wasn't contracted for 3 years, and if we could keep Lunt, I'd let him walk at the end of this year to be honest.

After a very impessive debut I would Agree. That was the best performance by a Leeds 9 since Bedsy went back to Aus.
Macca must be a very worried man tonite. Even when Robbie comes back I would be tempted to emply the same tactics that worked so well at the back end of last season, just Lunt instead of Buderus.

lets calm down before writing a kid off who has still got stacks of potential imo and lets face it when he's played recently the whole team have been off colour not just him and i still maintain he offers some good options at 9 that Hood ,Burrow and even now Lunt don't.

I'm not geting too carried away. Last season I was praying Macca would stay as he has always had the talent to go far, but this season for whatever reason he's failed to live up to that mark. The odd 40/20 and flash of skill aside he has been very slow/ordinary almost pedestrian. Tonite was a masterclass on good dummy half play.

RR "Tonite was a masterclass on good dummy half play". That was on the back of some real hard yards and great go forward by our pack are you saying when we've been poor its just been down to Mcshane?

No i'm saying that Mcshanes dummy half play has been very slow, that may be a result of poor play by the rest of the team, but even in the games where we have been on top his play has still been very slow, thus making everything else in the team a little predictable!




Are you Pual Mcshane's Dad??????