How come Kevin Sinfield signed for Leeds can't think either of those criteria were important to him.

At elite level you need to make decisions based on cold hard facts and try and cut out emotion as much as possible

Kevin Sinfield signed for Leeds because we offered the best deal at the time, as did Chev Walker. Both of these were the highest rated individuals in the country at the time of their respected offers.

This model was imperative in why we have just come through the era we have. Why we moved away from it, was because we already had the players in the first team. We should take a step back, and repeat what we did so well. Sign the best youngsters we can.

Would seem sensible, particularly as the quality we might otherwise have signed from down under's no longer an option.

Whilst not playing for Leeds, what happened to Lee Crookes lad? One minute the most exciting young centre in British Rugby League and the next minute..........whoosh, where's he gone?

Money would be low down the list of things I'd discuss with a 16 year old. If that is his motivation I'd shake his hand, wish him well and give him Marwan Koukash's number.

I don't know the answer to your question David but I guess GH had the same conversation wit Ashton Golding very recently and Kallum Watkins before that and he sold them on something. Whatever he sold them, they bought in. If a kid won't buy in, he won't buy in. Jordan Baldwinson didn't buy in, he took the extra cash from NZ Warriors. Maybe we're lucky to have gotten him back, though by all accounts he looked very poor at Bradford last year.

He's signed for Parramata. He's never been the same since Gentle pulled a Tony Smith and played him in the CC final injured.

Regarding bursting the bank for U16s, there was a huge prop on the books at Leeds a few years back, Mick Learmonth. He was being touted as the best front rower of his age group and Warrington offered him big money and he signed for them, much to the chagrin of one or two on here. He's now on a one year deal at Huddersfield. You'd think if he was as good as some seemed to think 3 or 4 years ago he'd still be at Warrington?

I've been told GH shares that view and has said that to one or two of our U16s in the last few years.

You have continually quoted Sinfields Grand Final speech about players able to earn more away, but bought into the success and wanted that more. That is not debatable, that is a fact what Sinfield said, and a true one.

However, those same players as juniors that stayed with the club and gave the club the success, were only there in the first place because they were offered the best deals as Juniors. This allowed the club to gain later by paying them more as youths, by having the best talent to develop, and installing the ethos they have today, which put medals first.

Why is it therefore wrong to repeat that same model?

Were those youngsters offered the most money or the best deal? There's a difference.

The value of a deal isn't just in how much the player is paid.

A similar thing happened with Ben Currie when he signed for Wire. He played Wigan and Wire off against each other. In the end Lenagan showed his agent the door. I'll leave you to guess who his agent is.

Offiah, or Howes?

There isn't a difference. They are both important. And again something we have moved away from. We have not given the same deals for quite a while, monetary or other. Watkins was the last time we did it to entice over the Pennines. But yes Sinfield and Walker were offered bigger than your average players monetary deals. We need to differentiate between decent players, and exceptional players.

With Cam Smith from what I have heard he is not motivated by money at this stage. However, he does back his own ability, and knowswhat he can achieve. The way Leeds currently work, they will not move further with him until later in the year. If they stick to that, they will lose him, and not to someone necessarily paying more.

Only on Friday morning, Jamie Peacock was speaking at a school giving a motivational speech about his career. He happened to mention that young players shouldn't try to rush things, as it will come if you keep working. When someone mentioned Cameron Smith, as he is well known to a lot of these pupils, he openly admitted, well he's an exceptional talent that if treated right will play for his country at the top, and probably at a young age.