I always think of Ablett as someone who seems to always steps up in the big games.I am confident we will see a different player in the next few weeks than what we have seen the last few.He has earned the chance to do that i would say anyway.

Let's get some clarity here shall we:
The challenge cup final was a one sided walk over - would you say a 50-0 win at Wakey would have taken a lot out of a side - I wouldn't. They shouldn't go from reasonably good form to worn out and error strewn because of that game and what it took out of them surely?

I never said they wouldn't beat the bigger sides I said they would find it hard and so it has proved - against the top 8 sides they have lost to Wigan x2, Saints, Warrington, Catalans, Castleford x 2.

On Magic I said it would be interesting to see how the team reacted compared to last year - which I genuinely believe started the slump. I never said things would repeat themselves.

Saints have revived not because they had a week off - because their playmaker has suddenly hit some form - that has given the team some confidence/belief. You saw that last night Walsh looks a different animal that what we saw earlier in the season.

I have said before weeks off are not a guarantee of good form. How many knock out games did Leeds win against sides that had had the previous week off? The squad should be strong enough to play one game a week through the season the fact the coach seems reluctant to rest certain players is another matter.

The issues at Leeds are far more than the coach:
The strength of the squad is CEO issue - he makes the purchases, the forwards have lacked depth of quality and youth
The development of young players is a scouting and coaching issue - only one young player has made a mark this year and that is Handley who I doubt has a long term future at Leeds. With an ageing squad you have to question why we were playing Watkins injured and Ward on one leg in a game we needed to win against a team we should be better than.
Player performance - that's a coaching/conditioning issue. This team shouldn't look this lethargic at the business end of the season.

I picked Leeds to finish 5th - no doubt you picked them to finish 1st unless something changes - you never know the Giants are an enigma - I will be closer to being correct than you. Time will tell, I hope you are right and I am wrong.

next two games will prove who is correct. for me two years slump, a massive slump, after Wembley is unacceptable and raises issues which I think sal is partially correct on.
playing injured players because there are no alternatives, for a top side, is pathetic. that's the CEO as sal says. he is correct, in my opinion, about the squad strength, especially in the second row. keinhorst and achurch should only be squad players, not playing a lot of games.
again players being exhausted at this crucial time is, again, unacceptable. was nothing learnt by the conditioner, coach and CEO from last year?
had we some good youngsters or a larger squad we could have played a second string v saints and then come back fresh for catalan.

Yeah, I think any reasonable poster would conclude that Sal's likely to be spot on with some of the points he's raised on here. Bit strong to suggest that playing injured players is pathetic though: every side does it, the real question is the severity of the injury. Which I assume the club doctors have a better handle on than most on here.
I think exhaustion is almost as much a mental thing as a physical one at this stage. Get on a roll and your ok but if that bubble bursts then its a lot harder to put things right than at an earlier stage of the season. That's one of the coach's jobs and I was a bit worried how despondent McDermott seemed when interviewed after the match. I rather got the impression he felt he'd done all he could. Clearly, it wasn't enough. However, I'll be interested to see whether Shaun Wane is able to reinstate that feeling of invincibility into Wigan after last night. Always worth bearing in mind that there are some situations beyond the control of any coach, however good. Look no further than Tony Smith this year.
As for the selection v saints, we could have played more youngsters, some of whom are good. They might have made a fist of it in the way Hull's did against wigan last week. I'd have said ours were better. But in the euphoria of winning the cup, and following some of the rugby preceding it, not least against Saints, I think going with strongest available was understandable. Maybe an error in hindsight but an understandable one. we had looked invincible. I guess at the end of the day the game's coached and played by human beings, every one capable of f****g up.

Are actually saying they peaked for the CC final at the expense of the games that followed? They were prepared to sacrifice the GF for the CC?. I am struggling to understand how they can suddenly look so lethargic - even the back three have had little impact in these three games especially in driving the team forward. Briscoe has turned in to Leroy!!

Maybe this is a mental attitude issue i.e. they knew they would lose to Saints - collateral damage of the final and thought they could waltz in and waltz out of Perignan but Cas was a must win game and they still look listless.

I take your point about Aiton but having three props defending in the middle is madness - Stevie Ward should have been the one in the middle. He is the best defender, the youngest with the most stamina.

I just don't get this cup final draining us as others are claiming. the saints game yes but the other two? seriously?

I think it's a lot more to do with injuries we've had than Wembley hangover.

Not having your 2 first choice hookers is going to affect any team. We haven't been able to get the toll on in attack and make the big metres, which means we're working harder in defence. I'm sure that if we had Aiton and Burrow fit we'd have the LLS wrapped up

I think it's a bit of both. We obviously peaked mentally and physically for the final. Having built up a lead we probably sacrificed some intensity in the games after.

We have also had injuries to key people. Whilst Hall and briscoe are excellent you could take them out and it would not affect how we pay so much, but we are currently without 3 main pivots, and our main organiser is having to go into dummy half. Not to mention the affect on defense that losing aiton has had

I think we need two trusted hookers in the squad. Proper hookers who defend the middle and distribute effectively. For a club of our status to potentially derail our best season in ages because of 1 player getting injured is not good.

I agree. Having one hooker and a small half back who can spell him at dummy half is just not a model any coach should think is adequate.

So what is your theory then?

no idea, but I don't believe it's mental tiredness because of winning a final, in which we never got out of second gear. I fully understand the saints game, possibly catalan but not that abject rubbish v cas. my opinion is the forwards are mostly old and/or big and not mobile. they've simply run out of legs. peacock was appalling last two games. he's nothing left in the tank.also we are paying for being mostly injury free. saints have a lot of fresh players due to a mid season injury crisis.
i'm hoping a few days off will recharge a few batteries and they have three big games left in them.
I think if we win on Friday, and I believe we can, then with the scent of old Trafford in their nostrils they are capable of winning the GF. however for that to happen they must have a home game in the semi's

The forwards are mostly old line is garbage. Yes we all know how old Peacock is, Leuluai too but it's not like he plays big minutes and he was somebody who didn't start his season until around the mid-point. The rest are of various ages, but not "too old"