Defensively they have to better, the amount of practice they get is unreal, as a side Leeds struggle for field position.

I would love to see the numbers in terms of time in opponents half v time in own half - I put that firmly on the fact that Peacock carries the pack and the other fail to step up (maybe Burgess is slightly exempt from that criticism).

Donald's performances in 2007 were the equal of 2008 and 2006 was a solid year too. I agree entirely with your last sentence.

Agree.

Sorry david but I can't agree. Sinfield was regularly shortlisted for Man of Steel in the Smith year's. He's a shadow of that player now. You seriously think Bailey is the same player he was under Smith? I'd also argue Diskin has gone backwards. He's certainly never got near the heights of 2004.

He is doing some things right. He's doing a lot of things wrong.

Look at McGuire's try on Saturday for England. A try engineered by two Leeds stalwarts. How many times have you seen them do that move at Leeds?'"

Your logic is shocking. Leeds have to be the best a defense because they have to do it more? How do you work that out. Our defence is winning games for us. We could easily ship twice as many points as we do if our defence wasn't so strong. They look organised and strong in most games, and there are few weaknesses.

If you have never climbed on a bike do you fall off the first time you ride it?


After practice do you get:

A Better?

B Worse?

C Stay the same?

Now think carefully before you answer...........................

I don't get that.

If Donald is struggling to perform on the right because its not his natural position (see 2006 for details) and he has different stand in centre partners, why should it be expected of Hall that he'll succeed there (assuming he is naturally left sided)?

Translation I admit I was wrong and that generally you improve by repetition.

Now find a rock, climb under it and stop being silly.

The Hall/Smith option on the right wing outscored the Donald option on the left over the final twelve games of 2008 by almost two to one.

Hall would have little difficulty reverting back to the right and a switch might just bring Donald out of his slump.

Why just the final 12 games?

Instead of 12 go for (I think) 20 and you'll add 7 tries to the Donald tally and only one to the Smith/Hall one.

I'd agree Donald struggles on his right side generally but if the issue is one of rotating makeshift centres I can't see how Hall should automatically be expected to negate that.

'"

Because that was the number of games into this season when I looked at a comparison of left V right from the same number of games from 2008. Twelve matches is a reasonable sample and the point stands that Hall and Smith didn't have any difficulty on that flank compared to Donald's output on the left over the final three months of the 2008 season.



Twelve was appropriate at the time I originally made the comparison. Maybe not so now eighteen games in.



I thought Smith was the settled right centre now. The situation can't be any worse than it was with Ablett and Ellis operating there last season.