They have Chase Stanley too who is arguably better than both. It doesn’t really make sense for them to have Leutele, Stanley and Watkins, unless one of the others is leaving which could free up some cap space if they pick up Watkins on a bargain contract.

Leutele likely Warrington bound?

surely warrington accountants not that creative , watkins best game way at hull singleton's last good game

Didnt Warrington offer a load of players for him a few months back??

Signed for Toronto https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/br ... m-watkins/

Signed for Toronto https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/br ... m-watkins/

Quote Clearwing="Clearwing"Signed for Toronto https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/br ... m-watkins/'" Not that it matters as he is nothing to do with Leeds these days but this move just confirms to me he wasn't going to cut it on the NRL. Shame for Watkins and at least he gave it a go but moving to Toronto just shows that the talk about wanting to be closer to home was a convenient story. I'm afraid that knee injury has really done for him by the looks of it. Needless to say I wish his father well.

Quote Clearwing="Clearwing"Signed for Toronto https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/br ... m-watkins/'" Not that it matters as he is nothing to do with Leeds these days but this move just confirms to me he wasn't going to cut it on the NRL. Shame for Watkins and at least he gave it a go but moving to Toronto just shows that the talk about wanting to be closer to home was a convenient story. I'm afraid that knee injury has really done for him by the looks of it. Needless to say I wish his father well.

Toronto are currently based in Manchester aren’t they?

Toronto are based in the UK for the majority of the season and he’ll spend the off season in the UK, he’s closer to home, in fact he will be living at his Leeds/Manchester home so he won’t be closer to home, he will be at home.

They are indeed currently and I can see the immediate appeal of that but that is just because of the current climate. Normally they rotate their time across the UK and Toronto. It just brings me back to the view that compassionate leave would have achieved the same short term outcome if the Titans wanted him. Seems pretty clear they don't and we're happy to wave him off.

And if it wasn't for the current situation Watkins' dad wouldn't be so ill and Watkins may well still be in the NRL.
He had a good pre-season and was in great condition at the start of the season. If they didn't want him he wouldn't have started all the pre-season games and the NRL games.

I had heard he was back in good shape though never saw any of the titans in the first two rounds. To me this just makes it more puzzling and brings me back to if they wanted him why not give compassionate leave and if it was Watkins who wanted to come home Toronto is an odd choice, though perhaps it was his only one.

It's a mute point really now but it's a pet peev that everything, even sport, is so politically spun these days.

How do they give him compassionate leave? Coming back here, he isn’t returning in the next six months, so that would be the season out of the window. Better to cut your losses than compassionate leave.