He has answered a lot of questions people was asking but they're still one more thing I don't understand only playing 16 men in games and sometimes 1 sub would only get 10-15 minutes at end of a game

It doesn't explain the shambolic half-d defence either. I'm sure being 'man enough' to admit and confront mistakes is part of BM's makeup. The problem is when the mistakes admitted to aren't the right ones or the only ones.

I tend to agree that the first 17 looks OK compared to last year on paper (weaker at full back, stronger at hooker everywhere else much the same albeit getting old in key positions). But McGuire hasn't had a good game since 2015, and if he can't turn it around or Segeyaro gets injured the team would look almost identical to the one that played terribly for most of the year. We have too many plodder forwards and still no serious backup hooker should either Burrow or Segeyaro get injured.

Assuming what GH and BM are saying publicly is the way the club feels, next year will be all about some kind of redemption. The problem with that is if we start badly again it will all look like PR guff and a year will be wasted.

Having said the above, I just read BM's statement on the club website. As a whole its better than I thought, if you want an insight into BM's thinking.

But its a remarkably odd thing for a coach of a team supposedly wanting to win trophies to come out with. Its basically a shopping list of problems, all of which will miraculously disappear next year. Its also admitting that through all the dreadful first two-thirds of the season, BM and the squad had literally no plan B. That doesn't suggest any resilience at all. Pointing at meaningless wins vs Hull and Wigan as some kind of guide to next year really is scraping the barrel IMO.

One thing I do agree with is BM's view on Burrow and McGuire having earned some loyalty. However, I'd say 2016 was so bad that they've pretty much spent all their loyalty points. Its up to them to show BM's faith is deserved.

Actually I thought he was referencing playing injured and unfit players, which led to poor performances and often recurring injuries

Funny, because Mac wasn't so loyal to Burrow when he first joined and started benching and even dropping him...

I think last year really showed that if McGuire gets injured again or doesn't fully recover then we will struggle. In previous seasons we could afford for either Sinfield or Maggsy to get injured because the other would usually step up and allow either Sutcliffe or Burrow to get on with their natural game.
By not bringing in another half they will either have to make sure Lilley/Burrow can play without Mags or it will be a big gamble

They're only not the right ones in your opinion though. The issues with the defence will be covered in this part



I said right from week 1 the shortened disrupted pre-season was the key thing. People can and have mocked the Kiwis game comment but it's highlighted above how it altered and shortened our usual pre-season plans. To then lose time afterwards because of the floods made it even worse. People can say "well they eventually got sorted" with regards to pitches and gyms to work with but the problem was you never make up for that lost time (unless you try having a mini pre-season when the season starts ala his chasing wins comment) and pre-season is so crucial. How do people think we went from how we played in 2014 to how we played in 2015 without many squad changes? The work done in pre-season. Tony Smith admits the basis of the 2004 winning season was the work done in pre-season. Hull and Wire made some recruits yes but clearly they came back from being mid table contenders last year to top by having a great pre-season.

This is a desperate coach/club looking to deflect the blame away from himself/themselves.

There is even a new excuse - we tried to chase wins early!! That is simply idiotic.

It is all we and not I and that is an issue - take some responsibility for your shortcomings.

2016 was a complete and utter shambles and the Rhinos lack of agility in the face of adversity is duly noted.

What on earth are you blabbering on about. Duly noted? I'm quite sure no gives a damn about what you've ''duly noted''.

It's we and not I? that's because the club is a We. When they won the treble he didn't say 'I'VE won the treble''.

I think it's a fair article.

I think we need to move on. Last season has gone let's put it to the past, there's no point kicking and screaming because the club haven't crucified themselves with Mcdermott offering his resignation in blood. Things went wrong, mistakes were made but we'll be stronger for it, I am certain.

Very much this. It's just sport at the end of the day.

I also agree with what Mac said regarding chasing wins early, the bad start, compounded by injuries and playing injured players really damaged a team that was trying to find its identity again.

Roll on next season, if we can manage a good start, I'll be quietly confident.

Of course it's "we" and not "I". Whenever we've won things under McDermott he's always been about shifting the credit onto others (players, other coaching staff, management) so damn right he uses we when fail when he uses it when we've been successful. You stick together as a club and don't start pointing fingers at individuals.

That you want him to say "I" just shows up your agenda. Talk about excuses with regards to losing crucial time in pre-season, which is actually a fact not excuses....yet come out with your own excuses about why we were successful....."it was all Sinfield and Peacock, all the other teams were poor"....which aren't facts just lame opinions and excuses to try salvage something from previous claims writing off the coach and team who you thought would do naff all in 2015 (and on a few occasions previously).

The "chasing wins" comment is properly explained and you can understand what he means unless you're just reading those two words and taking it simplistically as we didn't want to win games.

Whilst we didn't deal well with adversity for quite a while, we did actually turn it around, all be it a few weeks too late to avoid Middle 8's. we finished the 23 Rounds with several wins under our belts, some against eventual silverware winners, climbed a few spots to get the better fixtures and we made simple work of the Midfle 8's. Might not sound like much but considering where we were at around the end of May/start of June strolling through the Middle 8's didn't look on the cards and we did actually work our way out of trouble in the end.

1. Interesting comment about the players not putting in acceptable performances - not much about him and his impact on these unacceptable performances? So who is pointing the fingers then - not much we in that comment.

2. The last six fixtures of 2016 included 4 against Wakefield, Salford, Hull KR and Widnes and the middle 8's should have been more of a breeze than it was - the performances against London, Batley, Hull KR and a loss to the Giants were hardly convincing. Let's not see this as a Lazarus moment!!

3. Given the club was in complete crisis/chaos chasing wins in those circumstances seems foolhardy if greater pressure was put on players to deliver.

4. He talks about hiding behind excuses - quite the opposite to what the CEO said at the time "we are a strong group that don't hide behind excuses" yet another confused statement in this piece - its typical of his muddled thinking that can be seen during game time.

You have an agenda to dismiss Sinfield's impact on the success of the team in 2015, just like you have with Tony Smith's impact during his time at Leeds - you are entitled to that opinion. To suggest anyone who doesn't agree has an agenda seems hypocritical to me.

1 - there was a load of "we" in that part of his piece....."I had defended the players until that point but those performances were unacceptable. WE had lost our way and WE were ALL guilty of relying on excuses too much. It led to MYSELF, ALL the coaching staff and the players questioning if WE were doing everything possible to perform." ......hardly shifting it away from himself to just players.

2 - yes and those teams were beating us earlier in the year. Not saying the performances were amazing but last time I checked you didn't get extra points for style and 2 points counts all the same. Wigan are an example of that this year.

3 - yes and he admits it's his major regret doing that. Does he have to word it a certain way calling himself a useless **** before some are satisfied?

4 - how is it muddled thinking of his behalf when you've taken one comment from him and one from someone else?

5 - not saying Sinfield didn't play his part of course he did. But this idea that's been built up that it was all on him and Peacock alone is ridiculous. As much as great players they were they weren't that great that they could be the sole difference between spending most of the last year in 1st and then spending most of this year without them last.

Simple fact is with the extended end to 2015 and then loss of pre-season time we must've been around a month behind where we were 12 months previously preparation-wise and of the other teams in the competition when the season kicked off. You can't have that and expect to keep up with the rest.