You'll see when he's smashing it in Super League.

This must be a wind up....or I can console myself at long last with not being the most pessimistic Rhinos supporter.



As far as I'm concerned this has gone a long way to restoring my faith in the Leeds management: it could not have come at a better time in an area most at need and by all accounts a pretty decent acquisition too (away from the DM's club here of course)

Isn't it funny that despite all the speculation about who Leeds will sign the ones the club do actually sign still manage to come in under the radar?? (Nobody predicted the what has become a brilliant signing in Cuthberston either did they??)

I assume your source is reliable, do you know the length of contract etc?

Quote ="roopy"He is a very good player in the Qld cup, but the big guy just can't have the same impact in the NRL because you can't run around at that pace if you are 130kg. He was a Newcastle Knights junior, and Craig Bellamy actually played with his father in the Newcastle Rugby League. Bellamy brought him from Newcastle Wests and got him fit enough for NRL - got him down to 120kg I believe. He had some decent games for Melbourne, but not many. He mostly played for their feeder team in the Qld cup, where he was a legend with his big runs. Bennett bought him because of his great form in the Qld cup, but has obviously decided he will never be able to play as well at the pace of the NRL. Garbo says the ESL will suit his style of play, and I think that is right. He will have a lot of impact as long as he isn't run around so much he is gassed all the time, like he was in the NRL. This is a clip from the Storm website titled Mitch Garbutt best kick return ever. It's from when he led the storm feeder club to a title in the Qld cup. Junior Sau scores the try. bigpondvideo.com/video/554879/'" To be fair, even Ryan Bailey managed one devastating kick-off return in his career

Quote ="roopy"He is a very good player in the Qld cup, but the big guy just can't have the same impact in the NRL because you can't run around at that pace if you are 130kg. He was a Newcastle Knights junior, and Craig Bellamy actually played with his father in the Newcastle Rugby League. Bellamy brought him from Newcastle Wests and got him fit enough for NRL - got him down to 120kg I believe. He had some decent games for Melbourne, but not many. He mostly played for their feeder team in the Qld cup, where he was a legend with his big runs. Bennett bought him because of his great form in the Qld cup, but has obviously decided he will never be able to play as well at the pace of the NRL. Garbo says the ESL will suit his style of play, and I think that is right. He will have a lot of impact as long as he isn't run around so much he is gassed all the time, like he was in the NRL. This is a clip from the Storm website titled Mitch Garbutt best kick return ever. It's from when he led the storm feeder club to a title in the Qld cup. Junior Sau scores the try. bigpondvideo.com/video/554879/'" To be fair, even Ryan Bailey managed one devastating kick-off return in his career

A bit of grunt is what we need up front especially now JP and his long minutes are going. At 120 kilos this guy should give us a bit of that.

As others have said, hopefully there is one more in the pipeline for next year

One of those moves you never forget....Catalans away



For some reason I also remember Bailey making a try for Watkins at Hull KR and getting sparked out in the process. (TVOC could no doubt tell us the date) It was probably the move that persuaded the club to sign him

All the way back in February 2009.

..... a better effort than his attempt to walk over Mathers at Wembley (who knows what would had happened if he had done the more simple thing of scoring?)

Come to think of it what happened to Mathers too? London I think wasn't it?

...and Jodie Broughton (Still at the Giants?). Like TVOC I always thought he was one that Leeds let 'get away' and would one day come back to haunt us.
However I must confess it does seem that the ones that Leeds let go never do seem to ever again reach the heights many detractors expected of them. Or am I wrong?? Even Ali seems to have faded from the limelight.

He looks like the replacement for Kylie which is right would fit with what sounds like his style I.e. big runs but needs to be spelled.

That style should also complement singo and cuthbertson, not forgetting the lad from Huddersfield.

Within a month our front row problems look sorted, on paper anyway.

And Garbutt gets half a season to bed in before jp and Kylie go.

Never doubted you Mr Hetherington sir.

Bennett didn't sign him - he was quite sought after and was signed under Griffin IIRC.

Next season If everything goes to plan, potentially we should have an extremely quick and mobile pack.
It would be the icing on the cake if we managed to find a hooker to spell aiton.

Thanks for the replies re being 'cup tied' - I probably took the words used in the more literal / football sense of 'having played in that competition for another team already'. Ta for clearing up my misunderstanding

Looks and sounds like a perfect replacement for Kylie and very much needed now just hope he settles in and makes an impact.

Is the fact he has only 12 first grade appearance at 26 years old a cause for concern?

Not necessarily, at least he won't be burnt out.
But I guess he may be injury prone.
I wish him, his wife & his new baby all the best when they arrive.
I hope that the club has good support in place to help them all settle in particularly his wife when she's such a long way from home with such a small child.
It's usually ok for the player but the wives can struggle away from all their friends & relatives.
I believe that Willie Poching's & Ali Lauitiiti's wives used to provide pastoral support previously but don't know what happens now.
Something I think that as fans we tend to overlook.

Is GH's new recruitment policy based on the fact that beards are now supposedly in/

As far as I'm concerned beards have always been in.
Along with CAMRA membership & open-toed sandals.

It's a good point....I have done it in reverse for just one year (NZ) and it is the stay at home wife who suffers the most. Didn't Eastwood go home again for such reasons? Hope they don't get a repeat with Mitch !!!

The other Aussies seem to have all settled, but I'm guessing they're all single (or were at the time of coming here)?

Why do open-toed sandals have to be lumped in with the others?

Maybe JJB is in charge of recruitment now. Konrad Hurrell next?

JJB's position as the model for next year's kit will be under threat if they keep developing a selection of bearded players to pose for the pictures..!

Brisbane lost their main prop - Josh McGuire - with a season ending injury today. Lucky we got the Garbutt deal wrapped up when we did.

Let's hope he's already in the air then as if not they may try and renage on the part of the agreement to let him join us early

better than that he touched down at LBA today. Looks a unit

[urlhttp://www.therhinos.co.uk/matchdaytv/?play=media&id=21265[/url

Seems like a really decent bloke - 20 hours + flight with a baby and local hacks crawling all over him and his family straight out of arrivals... and still composed & polite. Couldn't hack it myself.