I don’t believe the quality is lower at all, it’s just a different game. The quality of defences has improved massively over the last 10 years for instance.

I think many people are mistaking boring to watch for low quality.

If the 2007 Leeds team were to play the 2017 Leeds team all I could see would be 20+ point win for the 2017 version.

That’s not dismissive of 2007 or the past, just an illustration of how the game evolves. Line speed, tackle technique etc have all massively improved and so the time on the ball is hugely reduced.

The challenge for the sport in my opinion is to find a way to make the game better to watch and to open it up as defences are now stifling.

Easy to say get rid of players but if contracted players don't want to leave how you going to do it? It's impossible.

Whoever is out of contract can pretty much go for me now. Players like Delaney, JJB and Ablett can go but as previous poster said who are we going to replace them with. It has to be with quality or no point.

I agree the game needs to find a better balance between attack and defence, but I don't believe that there has been an increase in quality from the top sides in either in the last 10 years. I'd say that the top sides have become weaker, and most of the other teams have caught up a bit, so there is a levelling of the competition, but the best Leeds or Saints teams or even Bradford teams of SL would wipe the floor with any of the current teams in SL.

What were the scores today - I would suggest the defences of Leeds and Saints were anything but on top.


The Leeds side of 2004 would wipe the floor with this lot - I even think the 1998 version would give them a real run for their money.

that 98 side would smash this side all over the park

So who should be going at the end of this season?

Moon
Hall
Keinhorst
Ablett
Delaney
JJB
Golding
Walters
Ferres?
Sutcliffe?
Handley?

We're crying out for some grunt/hard work in the forwards. JP's comments were absolutely bang on, too many of our forwards are afraid to get hurt. What chance does Myler and the outside backs have when the pack continually get totally smashed.

At the very least we need a winger, a quality centre - a half back that can control the game and kick goals, 2 quality backrow forwards, a back up hooker if Parcell is on his way - he seems already on the plane and a couple of serious props - Crosby could be one of them.

The concern for me is yet again we don't appear to have any quality coming through the youth development outside of those we have seen

I know you can’t keep everyone but you let Mulhearn go and he’s turned out to be a gem

Agreed the best prop outside of the top 4

The game time wasn't there for him though at the time he moved on. Oledzki is going to be a gem in 2/3 years but has been over exposed this year.

Garbutt is massive for us he is 50 percent of our go forward and when he isn't there we look out matched by most packs to be honest. Cuthbertson sadly looks a plodder of late, not sure it was wise to give him a new deal but there is hope he could be revitalised under a new regime. Singleton is a decent rotation prop but outside that there isn't much else in the core middle of the pitch setting a plat form, that has to be addressed most of all for me and start building from there.

Peteru has gone well when he’s played

I am surprised Briscoe has escaped any flack so far on this thread. He offered little today. A dramatic loss of for my or permanent decline?

I wasn't a fan of Cuthbertson getting a 2 year deal. He's 32 and frankly as the senior prop he's completely MIA when it comes to the tough stuff. I couldn't care less how good his offload game was 3 seasons ago - we need him to muscle up. It was exactly that issue, the desire to showboat instead of roll his sleeves up and do the hard yards which saw him booted sharpish by Bennett following a less than stellar NRL career.

In terms of the rest, being realistic we can't get rid of contracted players, but the likes of Cuthbertson could and should be made to play DR/on loan if they're not delivering.

There's no grounds at all for re-signing anyone currently off contract. We as a club have shown loyalty to the older guys, and if there was only one we could even continue to do so, but the time has come to call it quits.

I'd like us to focus on genuine quality if possible, but it won't be easy to sign more than one or two of the level we need. We're starting that process way too late as most players are contracted way before now. I'm wondering whether a 'Survivor' style approach to a few younger Championship forwards might be worth trying - give them an off-season and a year to show if they can make it at Leeds, and assume that out of 3 maybe one will. Fleary had zero pedigree when we signed him, and Farrell not much more, and yet they delivered more than a lot more fancied signings.