He has a man crush on Jodie Broughton.

You see in his latter years I wasn't a fan of Scott Donald and thought he was here at least one season too many.

But your comment about his first 18 months is just wrong. There was nothing different to how Scott Donald played then and how Scott Donald played in his super league dream team years. The only difference was the specific stat of tries scored, and that in the main was effected by his centre partner. Too many people are influenced by that stat rather than the individual performance. Scott put in 3 seasons of good performances for us.

My own opinion always was and always will be that Calderwood would have matched and exceeded anything that Scott Donald did for us, but was not afforded that opportunity, and in that respect I agree with all that tvoc has put, except about Broughton. But then the club had to go for the next best thing, and I presume that was Scott Donald.

I agree with most of your post Gotcha but Calderwood was afforded the opportunity, at the price we deemed him to be worth. His valuation of his worth was higher, as was Wigans. During his Wigan years we won three championships and he and they won none. We were succesful without him. We likely would have been succesful with him but, so what?

My opinion has never been greatly influenced by stats, which can always be interpreted in a variety of ways anyway. I have always preferred to base my views on what I see before me on the rugby field. To be honest, I can't remember Donald even playing for us in 2005, and I sat there in the North Stand for the better part of the 2006 season, wondering just when our Aussie chum was going to join in with the rest of the squad.

In 2007 and 2008 we got our money's worth, but I recall him being caught out of position many times in his Leeds career, and I still don't buy into the idea that it was down to whoever was playing inside him at that time. 2010 can be written off due to injury and early retirement, so I suppose it would be fairer to judge him over a 4 season period, where he would fare a bit better.

My overall impression of Scott Donald, irrespective of whether, with the benefit of hindsight we should have kept another, younger leeds prospect, is that we could have seen a cracking player on the wing for all of his time here, and sadly, we were shortchanged.

I accept your point, history proves that.

Calderwood made his own mistake. I honestly believe that he would have been the best winger this club ever had, had he stayed. But he didn't and both lost out on that because of it. Although as you said the club didn't lose anything as far as trophy's are concerned.

One of my favourit trys ever!

The main stylistic difference between Donald and Calderwood: professionalism.

Almost as bad as yours on Matt Diskin !

I think G's preferences lie elsewhere, possibly 6' 4" 18 stone.

Old school, treat 'em mean, keep 'em keen.



Perhaps you'd have had a better chance if you had been sat in the Ken Arthurson stand at the Brookvale Oval watching a Manly reserve grade game.

I wonder how he feels about the hair cut?! The flowing locks of curly dark hair might've been more up his street.

Well I have seen him in his tights and I did tease him, though I didn't pull his hair.

As for Donald, picking up on something BB said, I've been told by a high ranking official that he was one of the most professional, hard working and dedicated players at the club. That, excellent displays on game day, and memorable contributions to championships are not enough to endear him to some of our fan base it seems. Says more about them than he IMO.

I was once told by the Leeds CEO of the day that Trevor Clark was a fine individually, you couldn't wish for more, he was a model professional.

I offered an opinion on his qualities (as I saw them) on the rugby field. The following year he was at Bradford.

Not that I'm claiming in any way whatsoever that the two things are connected (I'm sure they are not), just recalling a moment from the past.

Players discarded by Leeds and picked up by Northern during the 1980s might not be the best example you could have given TVOC.

Perhaps but it's all I had.