Lighten up Sal FFS, it was a joke. You don't have to be a boring pessimistic old fart EVERY day, take a day off. It'll do you good.

Not defensive, just trying to point out how silly your post was. EVERY player has flaws and if you discard the skills that make most great players stand out (like Rob's ability to find a gab and break a game) then they end up not looking so great... Hardaker's passing ability will improve but regardless he's still the best in SL and despite what the Aussie fan boys think he would definitely hold his own in the NRL.

No I didn't. You missed his point and are now trying to put words into his mouth.

Sutcliffe's been back for 3 games Juan, give him a break FFS. I thought he did OK on Sunday, showed some glimpses. He'll get there over the coming weeks. Were you writing Stevie Ward off after 3 weeks back?

Lilley is in no way ready for SL but he looks like he's going to be very special indeed.

There is absolutely no reason we can not have a SOO if we get the comp right first. Increasing the cap is an absolute no brainer where we currently are. I don't think under any means we can go like the Aussies, as that is just not affordable, but a 2 million cap now along with the marquee player rule would enhance our competition massively going forward.

Once teams are spending this and on the right quality, then you look at some form of SOO. Remember the kiwis are still quality players and they don't do SOO. I would be more keen in attracting back our English star players who also don't play SOO.

We need first and foremost to get rid of magic weekend, and have a proper marketed nines competition like they do in Australia. It would generate so much more publicity than Magic weekend, and much more fun.

The money situation that you say it isn't all about, to a degree is correct, but because of the low cap, it reduces the motivation for players to stay in our game, and or stay in our competition.

In no way am I writing off Sutty who I regard as a good player with great potential and he deserves time to overcome his serious injury. I do though have reservations as to his future as a 6 which are not based on 3 games back! It is based on all his games so far at SL level. I have also said however that youngsters have to be given time to develop and this applies to Sutty too and I am happy that he continues his run in the first team.

I have to disagree with you regarding Lilley who I think is ready for SL and who I think would look even better playing alongside Mags.

I just don't see what difference an extra £200k will really make though I'm not particularly against a small increase like that. Though we always have to remember that as we'd probably only have around 7 or 8 teams able to spend that extra money is how that actually effects the spending. Does it go on higher quality players from the NRL or does it go on retaining current players who may have moved to another club in SL. Also we have to think, will that extra £200k to be taken from other operations in the clubs such as backroom staff, management, marketing etc?
I agree to a point on the SOO, I don't think it would ever be as big as SOO is in Australia though. But the principle of an intense, 3-game rep series I think is achievable.

As for the 9's, nah. It's never ever going to get any meaningful coverage or profile and the Magic Weekend has potential for being a useful expansion tool, it also got roughly twice as many people attending as the NRL nines did.
Personally I think we should use the 9's concept as an international comp like the 7's to help develop other nations rather than as a domestic club comp.

I certainly hope so, but have seen nothing to convince me he is anywhere near. I think it will go something like Leeds->Wakefield->Batley.

Of course it was!! it was simply a hissy fit on your behalf - perhaps if your weren't so precious about all things Rhinos it might do you some good!!

I'd have said, more like Leeds->Wakefield->Featherstone. Had the chance to give a SL team the lead for the first and (as it transpired) only time and fluffed that too. That seemed to be missed by many on here which is a little surprising after the spray Hardaker received after Warrington, coupled with the loss of a point or even two by not deferring the duty to Lilley.

Halves, IMO, need to offer a running threat otherwise defenders can just slide and pick off the runners, thus far Lilley's threat has only come from little mid field chip kicks and I imagine he'll soon be discouraged from using them.

Thurston missed his first kick from a similar position to Lilley. Reckon he'll end up at Featherstone as well?

I haven't been as excited about the potential of a scrum half at Leeds since Gareth Stephens.

Its more like Wayne Bennet took won look at him and said, wait have I not signed darius Boyd again already?! Your failing to mention he got that role by pushing Ben Barba out of position