Whilst it is always nice to get some quality new players through the door, people need to remember we have just won a grand final, again, and we have not lost anybody from the side for next season(ok, Lunt but we have Hood and McShane ready to step in). I dont understand the clamour for the likes of Moon and Lulia, who for me are no better than Ablett who i think will continue to improve at centre given the gig on a fulltime basis.

Our main rivals have not made major moves on the signings front.Warrington look to be sticking with what they have.Saints are in a transition,and their signings in the likes of Turner dont put fear into me (Manu could turn out well) and they also have a new coach to bed in.Wigan look in somewhat of a state of turmoil at the minute with players leaving and others wanting away.

GH is spouting off because he wants to sell ST's, and thats fair enough.I do agree with him though in that if we bring a player in he has to improve the side.Our biggest worry is in the pack where it is vital the likes of Singleton get good amounts of game time next year as JP and Kylie are nearly done.I cant see us making any signings, but if we are honest do we really need any?

I'd happily welcome new arrivals but they have to improve us and also not block the likes of Singleton ,Keihorst and Hood coming through we don't need to be signing anymore O'Neil or Hauraki type players.

TBH I'd rather strengthen our pack than a centre ablett has been outstanding and is pretty much one of the first names on the team sheet , very rarely let's us down and can be listed as one of the best centres in SL this year even though he prefers the BR

Although both good players moon and Lulia , taking into account they will be among the highest paid players at their respected clubs I can see why mr hetherington is reluctant to pay them more than say burrow or hall IMO I'd rather keep the squad we have than overpay individuals

I totally agree. Why buy new players when those we've got are doing a good job and , it looks like, there's plenty more coming through the ranks.
I think GH knows what he's doing and, as he says, he'll only recruit if it IMPROVES the squad, not just adds to it.
Let the others try to buy success and get into the financial troubles many of them are facing, I prefer us to promote from within, and if that creates players like Ward, BJB, Watkins, Ryan Hall, etc etc then there's not a lot wrong.
We've got a team,a captain, a ground, a full trophy cabinet,a coaching staff and CEO which most other RL fans would die for.
If some are waiting for a BIG NAME signing before buying a ST, then that's up to them.I'll be buying mine.
Can't wait for the season to start again.

I find it difficult to compare a well run, well supported club like Leeds to mediocre strugglers such as Salford or the recent dire situation at Bradford.

Leeds is evidently a well run club that lives, I suspect, well within it's means and well within the permitted salary cap. Players, I also suspect, are generally undervalued compared to the market place but well looked after otherwise. The team remains greater than the sum of it's parts on their good days ..... worse on others. A bigger squad might help but the coach has shown an unwillingness to operate much outside a select fifteen/sixteen. Having more players available might only result in him having more he can ignore for selection on match day.

I dont expect to see any 'major' signings at Leeds and havn't done for quite some time ...... years in fact. The CEO will talk up the possibility if he thinks it might help sell some season passes or hospitality packages but inaction speaks louder than words.

Wouldn't surprise me if GH has a reasonably big signing in mind for when JP retires at the end of next season

I think we need to be thankful we are so well run unlike other clubs , we can develop outstanding talent from within and keep hold of it

All our major cogs in the machine are tied down and we will be there or there abouts at the business end again it looks as though Warrington are going with what they had , Wigan have lost a lot of good talent and replaced them with players of lower calibre , saints look strong to me for next season and Huddersfield , hull are shaping up but will need time for their numerous recruits to settle in

Some might be waiting for the regular season to become meaningful before they consider purchasing a season ticket. Some may not consider 27 rounds of regular season mediocrity as worthy of investment in time, effort and the stumping up of cash to watch dross.


That'll be September then. It's a long wait.

I have mentioned this a few times now on here and for sure there is only going to be a squad of 25. If you look at what we had last year (32 players) that means we need to reduce the squad not increase it (which we have).

The idea is to stick with the first choice 19 then bring in the fringe players when someone needs resting or injured. If you look at these players on the fringes who are in essence back-up we will have:
Singleton - to cover L-forward, Front or second row
Hood - to cover Hooker
Kienhorst to cover centres maybe back row and wing
Chisolm to cover wings
Watson to cover Full Back and wings.
L Briscoe - No idea where he fits in, they cant seem to find what he is good at. Maybe he will stick with the U19s for another year or two.

If you class Ward and Clarkson as fringe then Ward will cover the halves or L-forward
Clarkson will also cover 2nd row and centre.

So all in all our squad is complete and TBH I have no problem in bringing any of the above into the team as long as it is phased. They are all there on merit.

Hardaker seems to be taking over the word at the moment and can't do no wrong in peoples' eyes but I hope Watson gets a chance as he is more of an attacking FB and I have seen him devastate teams. 5 tries against Hull FC in 1 game should not be overlooked - even at any level..I hear you say it was only the U20s but Leeds, Warrington, Wigan U20s would give any Championship team a run for their money.

Re-Watson IF he does breakthrough that could see ZH back at LC imo and i wouldn't be gutted about that either because i rate Watson and ZH can comfortably play LC despite his detractors.

Hardaker can play centre quite comfortably. On the other hand he can play full back exceptionally (2nd best in the league at the end of last season in my view). I also don't think he plays centre as well as Ablett. Hardaker's an option there in case of injuries, in which case full back cover is great to have, but I wouldn't be moving him to accommodate anyone else. unless somebody truly sensational appears, I hope to see Hardaker in the 1 shirt at Leeds for a number of years to come.

There's a very strong belief in earning success at this club, from young players having to work unbelievably hard to even get a debut right through to the standards required to bring us regular GF wins. Whilst it's fine to want to see rotation, or to see young players blooded at the earliest opportunity, it's conceivable that there might be a downside to such an approach.

By way of an afterthought, I'd go further: there's a huge risk associated with developing players who expect success to come their way. Whilst they may be very good players, they may be found wanting when the big games come around. Or, rather than knuckling down if success eludes them, they jump ship.

Nope, on balance I'll go with McDermott's approach.

I would think it's more likely that Watson's early opportunities in the first team will be on the wing. Also wouldn't be surprised if, assuming the coaching staff feel he's reaching senior level, he spends some time out on loan next year.

I think you are probably right there but I would much more like him to go to somewhere like Cas than Hunslet. However, Hunslet would be more likely as they have a new partnership.

As good as Watson is, I don't think Hunslet will want him; they have at least 3 Full Backs on there books and have just signed Tom Bush. I think Watson is better than Bush but what will happen to the other Full Backs who have just signed 12 month deals? I just dont think they will use him for that reason alone.

Cas might be an option as they only have Tansey at FB. Owen is not preferred there and has been a naughty boy of late so might be having time out

Frosties posted on the Hock thread on the Wigan board that GH has enquired about a centre from the Eels. Willie Tonga?