No I wasn't a fan of this extended concept last year and I'm not one for going gooey eyed at anything NRL.

And ppl need stop with this "it'll show us what we need to do" BS.

It's almost 20 years since the 1997 competition. They'l area still miles ahead and they always will be. Playing them one game a year won't improve us. The likes of a Mike Cooper has gone to NRL turned into a good prop BUT that's because he's playing against then EVERY week.....not ONE week a year IF you qualify every year.

And it's not the 80 mins on the pitch why they win, it's the things off the pitch you don't see why they win. Plus again I'll repeat this, too much respect for the Aussies thing. Compare and contrast if that is Wigan or Saints coming for a playoff game to the reception NQC got tonight and all week, like chalk and cheese. I mean Thurston was one of their best players but definately not MOM yet he was given the MOM award such is the brown nosing given towards the NRL.

Oh goody, Smokey finding another way to moan about the 8's format.

He didn't get picked for the GF either (for Walters who hadn't played for several weeks) so can't say his absence is only about rewarding the GF winners.

That's more to do with certain players getting brown nosed by media/voters... Thurston was poor in the NRL gf but still got MOTM. Sinfield won best player in the world etc...

Stick with it were capable of winning, leeds saints and wigan all had injuries and are not in form. Widnes beat leeds and Salford best saints by bigger margins, should we scrap super league as well.

Gutted! Big chance to win and absolutely fell apart in the second half, no excuse for that.
people will look at the score and say that NRL teams are too good but we were completely containing them untll we decided to tackle everyone around the shoulder and completely give up after their lucky third try of the second half, it looked like we have no fitness
This wasnt helped by AGAIN only using one sub in the first half not good enough from the coach against an NRL team, if you dont trust them to come on they shouldn't be in the squad at all

not the format itself. Just the morons who think it is the silver bullet.

I think Achurch is been pushed out of the club and won't play for leeds again.

Isnt it the last year of his contract? it would seem unnecessary.

Oh goody Smokey's found a new buzz phrase that he'll use repeatedly after he's worn out straw man.

Like starting a post with 'oh goody'?

Nobody wants to see another bickerfest. So leave out the personal stuff. Try and play the ball not the man.

Correct, their comp is and always has been a step ahead of ours, we need our best sides to have all their best players fit and firing and in good form to compete or this is likely to happen, no surprise to me.

Rather than trying to get equal with a far superior competition, which will never happen, we need to keep trying to produce enough top players to make England strong which we have done of late and the players going to the NRL helps. that is where we can compete with them if we work hard enough where it isn't all down to depth of talent which is where we get shown up on weekends like this.

The moment we give up trying to be the best in the world should be the moment we give up entirely.

If we accept ourselves as second best we cant complain when the world treats us as second class.

Great first half, where we more than matched them, good defence, and although critisized by me thought Sutcliffe was running the show. Then second half, a combination of poor one on one tackles, handling errors, and the stupid tactic of kicking off short.

Ferres was great throughout, Cuthbertson had good moments. Still can't see how Kienhorst gets a game at this level, and Delaney is no threat at all. Nobody really wants to kick in general play, and after that second try in second half,mat no point did a leader show themselves. Each try nothing was said, and nobody talking. Thought the scoreline flattered the Cowboys in the end.

We shouldn't stop trying to be the best but people are kidding themselves if they think getting beat by 30 points one weekend a year by an Aussie side will improve us. By that token Wakey and HKR should be as good as Leeds and Wigan because they spend most of their year getting beating by teams who are better than them yet they aren't catching the top teams up.

The idea that ONE SINGLE 80 mins a year (if your qualify every year that is) will help us catch up to the Aussies and improve is ridiculous.