Who has strengthened better than us? And with whom?

What has been the additions that made Wigan suddenly far better over the season than everyone else? I know it seems that someone from another planet swapped the likes of Pat Richards, Amos Roberts and that fat hooker with pod people duplicates who can actually play rugby but they are the same personel as last year (as hard as it is to believe).
Saints signed Soliola, I can't think of anyone else unless they signed Peletua this season?

We added a young centre from the NRL with a solid reputation and finally took delivery of our NZ international back row forward. Seems comparable to me - especially as we got Lee Smith back almost immediately.

If Leeds are 4th (and they are) then Warrington must be 3rd (and they are.)

Making the Challenge Cup Final was a big target and that was achieved. If Leeds can beat Hull and make 4th I think that represents a reasonable season to date. Losing and finishing 6th will be a disappointment.

Leeds' season isn't over yet.



How long have Michael Maguire and Tony Smith been at those respective clubs.

The most important signing any club will ever make IMO is that of head coach. Get that call right (Michael Maguire) and the job becomes easier in every department, get it wrong (Steve McNamara) and the opposite.

He never said so much strengthened better, he said strenghened. And he was talking about 2011 not 2010.

For example, have saints not been better than us this season with an injury list the equal if not worse than ours? Yet they have added Englands number 1 centre, and an Australian test prop to it, together with the signing they made for this season who has been out all season in Soliola.

For example, Wigan have just more or less walked the league. Yet have added 3 quality NRL players to replace 3 former NRL players of a much lower ability.

All centres in SL should be able to tackle. A class centre certainly is able to tackle, score tries and make a lot of opportunities for his winger. The term "defensive centre" says it on the tin - they are deficient in attacking skills and creativity otherwise they would be decribed in a different way. I am not witchhunting Delaney and have already stated he was one of our better players on Saturday. However both Warrington centres displayed much better allround performances than our two and with Seniors days coming to an end we are now lacking some class at centre.

Given the amount of tripe you've written over the years, I'd rather listen to Gotcha than you!

If you cast your mind back to the pre-season, this was being hyped as the strongest Leeds SL squad ever. On paper it is. My own thoughts are:

1) We put far too much emphasis on the WCC, at the expense of some dreadful performances around that game in the league. Losses against poor teams are not easy to claw back over the course of a season. I don't think this is exaggerating, you only have to look back at the comments of a number of players and Bluey himself to see that eyes were fixed firmly on the WCC from day one.

2) Injuries have really hurt. We lost a couple of other games due to lacking just too many first 17 players. That can be excused - e.g. Wigan away.

3) Wigan and Warrington are better sides than in previous years. They are both showing the benefit of better coaching and confidence.

4) Our team seems jaded and TBH have looked very unconvincing even when winning. To me the most telling game wasn't the final but the semi vs Sts. We looked good in patches in attack, but were dreadfully easy to open up in defence. Had Sts not blown a few opportunities we could easily have lost that game against a team with no halfback.

Bottom line is we don't seem to have great patterns in either attack or defence that have been sustained over a full 80 minutes except for the WCC. I have the strong impression that we've been trying to cruise through the season, trusting to find form 'when it counts'. That seemed to be the case last year, but we also won a lot more games and played better far more often.

To me that does smack of a complacency around the side. We can turn it around in the play offs, but if we go out early then this will have to go down as a poor season. Personally I don't buy that getting to the CC final is a great achievement if you get hammered when you get there. Had we lost narrowly then I'd be the first to say we gave it a great shot. As it is we were mullered, and nothing should cover that up.

BTW, I for one don't want to underestimate or overestimate the importance of the coach. I suspect that this Leeds team is very big on player power. To blame Bluey alone for all the failings this year would be harsh IMO. At the end of the year I think there are a few players who need to have a long look at themselves.

I wont be surprised if Ryan Hall is still playing when he is 26.

Same here i don't thi nk Ryan is as "biscuit boned" as Godwin.

Brent webb told me he'd be suprised if rob burrow doesn't suffer from severe brain damage when he retires due to the amount of concussions he's suffered. His bodies at the limit. The point of no return.

Now he wonders round like a zombie, only physically and mentally able to cope with the game. Anything else, like a conversation, or wlking to the shops is too much. His body is that battered.

I imagine in the future, as people CONSTANTLY want the game faster and harder it will become like rollerball. A plyer will have a lifespan of 4 or 5 games.....before they die.

Lauititi told me his body is so battered up, he doesn't feel feelings anymore.

Indeed it was. I would muster by many who are now calling for it to be dismantled.

I do recall suggesting titles like "Leeds greatest ever squad" should be reserved until seasons end to see what they have actually done.

Some short memories on here.

to f*** off and stop going through his bins at night.

Me included in that. I still thought a few weeks back that we had enough this year to win both trophies also. I've always maintained it would be 2011 that we would see the real decline in this side, unless changes were made.

So yeah, I also believed it was the strongest squad. To be fair, it still probably was, considering the amount of injuries we have had, who knows.



Indeed you did. Although I don't recall anybody saying "Leeds greatest ever", but the strongest you said as above.