Well this is what the result of moving on Kirke, Bailey, Clarkson and BJB* will be. Yes when fit then the starting lineup will look quite similar to the one which played the CC Semi & Final, however unless we're incredibly lucky with injuries this year then the young guys will get a decent amount of game time because they aren't waiting behind those names that I just mentioned. Previous few years the likes of Walters, Mulhern, Minchella, Foster etc. have gotten games due to us missing upwards of 7/8 first teamers......now just 2/3 injuries and they're in and you're going to have a lot of weeks where you're missing 2/3 guys at least.

*granted that was more a case we couldn't convince him to stay just to be a backup.

Sutcliffe at 6, Stevie Ward at Loose.

When you look at the injuries the likes of Mags ,Sinfield and Ward etc have overcome earlier in their careers obviously not but when you are on yer last knockings it can end all of a sudden ala Senior which is my point.

We've done it before AG and if GH comes clean and stops this PR bollox about this being our greatest squad ever it shouldn't imo be hard for fans to accept.
The reality is clear this "Golden Generation" can't keep going forever and it's blatantly obvious even now they are on the way down performance wise so the sooner we start the process the quicker the next batch will be up to speed imo.

Wouldn't argue about accelerating that process (realistically it has already started) providing the youngsters are truly ready. WRT the fans, I think that on the whole the perception of failure lasting more than half a season will be that the older players are no longer up to it, the younger players aren't a patch on what the older players once were and that we should be throwing mega bucks at signing Australian superstars. There will be some such as yourself who take a more measured view but come on, we're talking rugby league fans here

I'd go along with this, just as long as it's done with a bit of planning and not as some sort of knee-jerk response to some short-term drop off in results and form. Although I have to say that GH strikes me as one of the least likely men in the game to give in to that kind of impulse.

I think you are right re- GH, certainly been proved in recent times. However, he has had the luxury of having a quality set of settled players in place and as much as us fans would have liked to have seen some changes here or there he has been proved right with silverware on tap for a good decade now, and that has kept the fans in the most part happy. Finishing outside the top 4 last year,the early play off exit and his team missing out on the expanded concept of the WC series that he helped set up will surely have set the alarm bells ringing despite his 'greatest squad' claims. 50% of our pack goes when JP hangs up his boots too, everyone knows that. We are already hard pressed to remain a member of the big 4 with him in the team.It is surely a no brainer to think we need to look at marquee signings and he has no excuses from now on as he has the time to scour the market and get in on the big names who will be available. As i say, interesting times ahead.

But he has done it in the past, resigning Lee Smith from Wasps come to mind.
But I agree it's not a regular occurrence.
I think it's impossible to see any marquee signing coming from the NRL.

I guess it depends on how one defines marquee. Cuthbertson might not meet that definition in the eyes of many but from what I've seen he has the hallmarks of being a bloody useful signing. So, while we may not get an Ali, a Webb or a Buderus it may not be all doom and gloom in terms of what we can bring in from down under.

Maybe we shouldn't be looking so far for recruits - Daryl Clark would have been every bit a good signing as anything that would have come from the NRL.

I don't disagree but GH won't either break the bank, bust the salary cap nor upset his salary structure to do that.
Hence his laudable aim to develop in-house & promote from within but unfortunately that's not always feasible.
His loyalty to those players who reciprocate may also be and arguably has been a stumbling block.

It should never be overlooked GH is in the entertainment business and fans want to see stars especially at big clubs. You only have to look over the north stand to see that. YCC are equally good at promoting/developing young talent but they know that is not enough on its own. They have a combination of top overseas talent e.g Starc, Finch and now Maxwell and top home grown players such as Plunkett.

Leeds haven't signed a top player since Buderus, that isn't good enough for an elite club with a team that is quite clearly in decline. The fact that they will be well under the cap is also a worry, it suggests a potential downward spiral if matters are not addressed in the near future.

Interesting point. We are in a business. That much is certain, we have to balance books.
We are in the entertainment business. That is also true. But we are also in the results business. In entertainment terms the last few years has been pretty low by recent standards. However, the success on the pitch has been high.

I think there is a balance to be made. An entertaining team that wins nothing is not a good team. At the other end of the scale are teams who win everything but with no style. Leeds are more towards this end of the spectrum, and its the better end to be at.

In business terms its better to have a team which is successful, as you attract more casual fans, and many fans can't tell the difference between a good game and not anyway.

For me, mistakes have been made with some players being retained too long, but that has started to be addressed, with Bailey and Kirke moving on. JJB, Peacock, Sinfield, McGuire, Kylie should be assessed as the season goes on. THe thing we know about GH is that he plays the long game. Loyalty in the squad, from players who want to play for Leeds. This is his biggest challenge in maintaining that whilst bringing in the new team of the future

It's also better commercially to be successful rather than entertaining, if you have to choose one or the other.

Successful gets you to more finals. It gets you more prize money, more merchandising opportunities, more exposure to potential sponsors. Leeds can pitch to potential new sponsors on the basis of getting their logo out there on the big occasions, on national television at Wembley for example.

Playing entertaining rugby doesn't necessarily get you any of those.