I think smith is a poor shadow of his former self.

When would a player ever get 'better' into his mid 30s, Leeds will have plenty
of options at prop in the coming years and I don't think it's a bad decision at all, certainly given everything he has given to the club and his determined
nature.

Hardacre has been playing full time 12 months and at centre for 5 minutes.

Every team has areas to improve, the damning tone of some posts after a defeat is so predictable though.

I don't need to get my head out of the sand, I call the game as I see it and my backside doesn't get twitchy, I also enjoy seeing Leeds perform well/win
but it really doesnt upset me if they don't, it's sport.

Smith and McShane were abysmal we really missed Burrow at 9 and with hindsight perhaps we should have started Ward at scrum half.

Poor performance, that highlights some of the weaknesses we have in the team / squad, but no one died.

I agree with Sal that Smith looks done at this level, and frankly has since the return from RU, so it's not a snap judgement. McShane still has the weaknesses in his defensive technique evident for the whole period he has been in the first team. Our pack was totally dominated tonight and looked passive which is a poor attribute to have in the forwards. Without Webb and McGuire we were always likely to struggle if the forwards didn't get over the top of the Saints pack, which makes it even more mystifying why they gave up so easily. Also as well as occasionally giving Hall the ball, Hardaker needs to develop some other tricks other than the step off his left foot, or he will become very easy to read, elusive runner that he is.

We have a number of good players to come back into the team, so we don't need to throw the baby out with the bathwater, but it's fair to say the coaching team will have to earn their corn in the next week as Hudds will be up for it on Friday.

I call it how I see it - Smith is finished at this level and giving Peacock 2 years is a mistake and McShane is no Buderus. Saints were good tonight we were poor it happens - as to the rest we must agree to disagree and only time tell.

Are you and Eddie and Stevo in disguise? Don't tell me, it was unprofessional as well as lacking dignity was it?
What was the reason for us playing poorly v Wigan?
The club/players have done sponsored walks, runs etc in the past. IIRC some even did a sponsored canoeing. I would say they raised as much money as they did because of the novelty value of dyeing their hair red.
Honestly, like Sal Paradise says, it's just entertainment, nothing more. I'm happy when we win, I'm a bit down when we lose. Anything much more than that is granting a form of entertainment an importance it doesn't deserve.
In fact, the most important part of that game tonight was the dyed red hair of the Leeds players. The rest of it was just a game.

Am surprised there has been no mention yet of how low the sun was in the first half . It looked like we were suffering it's effects in the first twenty . After that things seemed more even , but the result was only going one way after going 24-0 down .

ThePrinter- you talk a lot of sense.

I'm surprised a lot of rhinos fans are disappointed with tonight's result and performance. If last season taught us anything, it taught us that results and performances like these do not matter a jot. Leeds were garbage throughout last season apart from the last 2 games. The regular rounds mean nothing. Leeds will qualify for the playoff's and so will Saints. This is what our sport has been reduced to and this is the reality of the Super League product now being sold to us - a meaningless regular round competition of no discernible importance along with a playoff system which is hell bent on rewarding mediocrity. The season doesn't kick off until late September. Some might even argue it doesn't kick off until as late as October.

Who cares? Not me.

To be fair Jeff the NRL is no different - which explains why so many different teams have won it - end of season lottery.

Because some people care about every game that's why many are disappointed. People who only care about the playoff games, congratulations, you are glory supporters.

hear, hear!

I know you're trolling but I must admit, with the premiership title race reaching a creshendo, I miss the week in week out intensity and importance of [ievery game[/i! Suddenly a routine game away at salford or widnes becomes a huge important pressure game as there is a need to pick up maximum points.

The vast majority on this forum do not care about the game of rugby league. They only care about the rhinos and they'll take a season full of lousy performances and results from their team any day of the week provided their club turns up for 2 games at the end of the season and are crowned champions. Last season proved that beyond any shadow of a doubt, whether you like it or not.

This was simply one of those games were the home side was 'on fire' and no matter who they were playing would end up looking like also rans. As a Saints fan it is the shining light at the end of a very dark tunnel ,I only hope we can re-produce the same form from now on .


Regards,

Jock.

PS, I spoke to a couple outside KFC before the game, they appeared to be more worried about us than I was of them turning us over.