Kirke and Bailey?

Given Kylie is retiring and with the young forwards coming through I don't expect much change. Although Kirke isn't particularly popular it's clear McDermott likes him and I would estimate his salary is fairly low. I guess the question would be could we get better with his wages?

Kylie hasn't decided yet. He's on a one year rolling contract so if he wants to go around one more year he will and to be fair on his form SO FAR this season, I'd have little complaint if he went round one more time.

IMO time to move Bailey on though for sure

Fair dos I thought he was retiring. I agree on Bailey.

If the Clark one does happen, IF, it's shows just what a bit of patience can do. Year upon year now all I've heard is "worried", "worried", "worried" when it comes to our front row.

By the start of 2016 we could have a line up of

8 - Cuthbertson
9 - Clark
10 - Singleton

14 - R.Ward
15 - Baldwinson
16 - Mulhern

According to Pete Smith on twitter Kirke has another year to run in 2015 for me I'd release him ,Bailey & Clarkson.
Foster ,Yates(if he makes an impact) Cuthbertson ,Achurch ,JP ,Singleton,Delaney,JJb ,Baldwinson ,Tonks ,Ablett and S.Ward is a decent Pack and balances youth and experience add in the possibility of Mulhern and Grange getting retained but maybe season long loans in the Championship it looks pretty good for the future.
Printer-Our FR is still weak should we lose kylie or JP or worse still both
for a long period of time given how average the likes of Bailey & Kirke have been.
Plus Kylie started last year strong but ran out of steam in the final couple of months.

Clarkson is contracted till 2016 and is still young enough to improve his recent performances have shown he still has something to offer.

Leeds should sign mark sneyd and begin to phase mcguire out.

No need, IMO.

Half-back is position where Leeds are stacked with talent in the junior grades which is going to be falling over itself for first team opportunities in the next 18-24 months.

Sneyd's going ok at Cas, but I'd want to see him do it for more than half a season before touting him as some great prospect.

I must admit I don't have much knowledge of the junior grades but if what you say is true, then that's good news, and it couldn't have come at a better time because we literally haven't brought through a halfback of genuine quality, since mcguire and burrow.

To be fair how many teams have near the top of the league in the era of McGuire and Burrow?

The likes of Tomkins and Lomax ended up at FB, Gaskell has moved clubs and sometimes positions down at lowly Bradford. Wheeler is a mystery. Ratchford is getting their but didn't come through Wire's academy and has had to do a few other positions first. Luke Robinson didn't get long at Wigan but eventually over time with Hudds has made it up, all be it with a spell at hooker under Brown. Brough had several clubs before Hudds. Kevin Brown hasn't been the out and out starting half for a top side. Pryce was at Saints but after a few years of Wing/Centre/FB at Bradford. Myler is the closest in terms of always staying at halfback but even he came from Salford and not Wire and had to endure being dropped a few times early in his Wire career and still isn't convincing them over there now. Also Matty Smith, finally hit the big time at Wigan but it was a bit of a detour he took to get there.

Obviously Sinfield started out in the backrow and Burrow has done hooking duties. Briers was let go by Saints and it was a long while before Wire became challengers. Long was let go by Wigan before Saints. Iestyn Harris and Sculthorpe were both Wire and different positions before halfback cam calling for them. Deacon made his start at Oldham.

Danny McGuire is probably the last out and out halfback that one of the top teams has promoted through their Academy and that has stayed not only at that club, but in that position.

It's still a big if, but if the likes of Sutcliffe, Jordan Lilley, Morgan Smith and Jack Wray come along to somewhere near their full potential, then that's a quartet that are going to provide quality in depth.

The reason for that must be fairly self evident.

No.



The club will try and produce as many top quality players as they can, they will hardly have said ''well, we have mcguire and burrow now, halfbacks can go to hell for the next decade''.

It's not like we've had real potential come through but their path has been blocked by burrow and mcguire, we just haven't physically had anyone of any quality come through, period. That's the point.

We have had plenty of potentially good half backs. But to go the next level they need to play first team. That wasn't going to happen, with the pairing we already had.

Trouble is that a massive percentage of potentially good kids will go by the wayside if the break doesn't happen. Only the very focused and strong believers will still make it happen.

Gareth Moore is a good example. Had he being at any other club at the time, he would have got a shot at first team.

Has any SL club developed a top quality half back over the past decade?

Only one pops to mind is Matty Smith, is he top quality? Im not sure. However he was pinched by Saints and even then they didn't want him.

Sneyd -Still to be known.

Brough - He was average for 5 years, became top class for a year and has now gone back down a division.

Myler? Meh, And again was a signing from Salford.

Tomkins & Lomax - Fall into top quality but then they were shifted to FB.


I've heard big things about Morgan Smith. A pal of mine is part of the Huddersfield scouting set up, they wanted the lad, wanted him a lot. Best young kid he has ever spotted. They showed him around Hudds, but then Leeds stepped in.