Thanks william, i was unsure of the lyrics, now i may be able to sing along next time

So was I until last Sunday

Agree win was there to be taken tonight with better control. Thaler this week and silver wood last week did this new method of taking teams back anything from 10 -15 back and the not bothering about offside, however where Catalans then steamed forward of where Thaler set the line we seemed to stick with him. Reckon McDermott needs to either ask RL if this is going to be case all year and if so get our pack in front of ref.

Thought tonight was much better - particularly in attack.

Lilley & Sutcliffe look like they're starting to gel and Lilley's kicking eliminates a week spot for us. While he always gives 100% it should be noted that Lilley's size does create a weakness and with us on the back foot having him & Burrow on the pitch at the same time creates a lot of work for everyone else.

Regarding the forwards I thought Ferres & Delaney plugged away manfully, Cuthbertson was good as usual. The rest confuse me no end.

Galloway has the size, but doesn't take the ball in at pace. That said he usually makes decent metres in contact.

Singleton takes the ball in at pace but rarely makes metres in contact.

Mullally had very limited minutes and didn't do too much.

Keinhorst & Walters both had some good moments (going forward) and woeful ones (defensively). Obviously Walters has time on his side but still to be convinced either will make anything more than a squad rotation player.

Achurch came on and looked decent but went off again very quickly. Has all the attributes but his fitness record and need to play a lot of minutes to get up to speed are counting against him.

Not sure where you got Hardaker as the best player in the second half - Watkins was head and shoulders above every other Leeds player on the field IMO. Where was he for the 2nd Taylor try or the Inu try in the 2nd half

If Catalans hadn't bombed a certain try in the second half it would have been a cricket score once again.

Wasn't Sinfield in the last game against the Dragons? how did that go!!

Leeds should have been good enough to win the game - Catalans were no great shakes - but defensively they were woeful. If Lilley is the next big thing then our standards have dropped significantly since the days of McGuire and Burrow.

Had the pass from Hall to Burrow stuck (or been half decent) we may have won the game but then Catalans bombed a similar chance which would have killed the game off a lot earlier.

No he wasn't, but to be fair he never looked comfortable after that early injury to his knee. Just hope he's ok for next week because the backup (Golding) isn't coming any time soon.

Just had a look at the stats from today and take a bow Kallum Watkins, outstanding in a loosing side
As well as 2 tries 2 breaks and 9 tackle busts he managed to make more meters and tackles than our two starting props without missing one or making an error!
Imagine how well he would have played if we wernt giving him so much defensive work
Weve gotta find another solution or give some of the extra work to the other outside backs, keep playing him like this and NRL offers start looking ever more attractive



Should also mention Adam Cuthbertson who had a 100 meter game and didnt miss a tackle

Thought we looked soft in the middle. Catalogs just seemed to wall through us at times.

Some stupid plays too like the penally in possession and the shoulder charge

Hang on lads, don't believe the Bill Arthur bull. Catalans didn't "bomb" that try. It was fantastic work from Hardaker, Hall and whoever else it was tracking back on the inside to prevent an easy pass. That's what prevented Catalans from scoring.

I thought it was good work from Zak, who bought the chasing defenders some time, and Hall who made a good tackle, as well as a poor decision by Inu to carry the ball in one hand and delay the pass, which made the defenders job slightly easier.

.... He was MOM for me...and for those who say 'why doesn't he provide that level of attack play more often' continue to overlook the amount of defensive work he often has to contribute owing to our continued persistent lack of a 'proper' hooker. As you say I hope he doesn't think 'I have had enough of this lark' and does beat a retreat down under (or to RU)

Cuthbo I agree was also excellent: his cute offloads, passes and even a decent little kick (how the hell Walters didn't score lord only knows?) are indicative of his half-back abilities in the body of a prop. He also puts in the graft.

Hardaker looked much better in the second half and it was pleasing to see him linking and putting in passes to his left.

As most have said the defence is the bigger concern and I guess that doesn't help with the continued lack of a middle defending hooker. Galloway looks no better than Bailey at the moment. Mullally blew his big chance with stupidity and Achurch proved again he is a 'Medley' like forward, which is not winning him any favours in team selection under the present regime..., although like yesteryear it gives us those memorable runs down the wing.

Lilley is unfortunately slow in body; Burrow needs to be back on the bench.

Faloon (any decent proper hooker) and McGuire are both badly missed....and with a continued tough run of fixtures ahead it aint going to be the best of Easters.

We can't write the season off just yet....a lot could happen with injuries both for and against, both with our own team and with the opposition teams.

I think Mulally could have a future in the game. Possibly with East leeds or Hull Dockers.

Word on Catalans. Whilst they did pick up the 2 points, yesterday again (and the Hull game) showed why IMO they won't make the top 4 under their present coach. Pretty close to full strength but are masters at shooting themselves in the foot and turning what should've been a 2nd half stroll after the opening 10 mins of the 2nd half into a close 4 point contest. With their away form they need to be pretty much perfect at home but can easily see them losing around 3/4 games which will leave them short of the playoffs.

Whilst it's a tough time being a Leeds fan at the present moment, it must be frustrating as hell to be a Catalans fan year round.

Other than Aiton were they missing anyone else? If not they must be fairly concerned. Although Taylor is a nightmare near the line, he looked like he could be exposed in defence carrying that about of timber.

Other than Aiton were they missing anyone else? If not they must be fairly concerned. Although Taylor is a nightmare near the line, he looked like he could be exposed in defence carrying that about of timber.

You think his performance stanks that much?

Is there any chance when we get within 10 metres of the opposition's line we can actually pass the ball right ? I'm fed up of the same old Burrow from acting half, pass on to Moon. or keep it himself, little chip kick into in goal (or most likely blocked by a defender), or a bullet pass to Hall that leads to very little........please go right every now and again for a change ??

Indeed. It's as though chapter 13 is missing from BMD's big Red Book of Rugby league tactics. The rather important one which highlights some of plays you can try once you get to the opposition 20 meter line. The headless chicken routine must really annoy the groundstaff who have to replace the same divots over and over again.

Perhaps Ebay have an old copy.

Much easier for most right handed players to pass left quickly and accurately when under pressure (like when the defensive line is five metres away rather than ten). There's also more chance of the left winger being able to beat his opposite in limited space close to the line than the current right winger.

Thought the use of interchanges was poor again on Saturday. Singleton did all bar 8 minutes out of the first 61. As the front rower with the best footwork, don't you want him on the field at the end of the game when players are getting tired and lazy in defence?

Keinhorst and Ferres did the full 40 in the first half, although the back row rotation isn't helped by Delaney's inability to string more than 25 minutes together without needing a breather.

It's not like players couldn't be spelled either due to a lack of interchanges, with Leeds only using 9 of their possible 10.

Walters now appears to be ahead of Achurch and Mullally in the "people McDermott trusts to use off the bench" charts anyway, getting 30 minutes in two spells on Saturday as opposed to 24 and 19 for the other two. Now all he needs to do is learn to judge a rolling ball and be able to bend his back.

The problem is Andy that whilst it might be easier, we do it every time so the opposition defence know what's coming and just load up that side, snuffing out any danger of Hall squeezing in at the corner because they have so many men there, likewise a Burrow grubber kick can't get through as there are too many arms and legs in the way.

I'm not suggesting we should not go that way, just not each time we are so close, and when Burrow plays 9 that seems the only idea he has when we get that close. Maybe Falloon getting fit with give us the variety our play close to the line needs ?

We need to wake up and realise that without peacock the rotations have to be used more effectively, how many times will we have to get run over in the second half for us to realise that.

Also, as much as I love the free flowing offloading, it wont work in an opposition 10 when they wont be leaving gaps around the markers, we have to have some block plays or wrap arounds or something to force an overlap or at least a one on one ... you know... like how how every other team in the world attacks

The other issue with the big right hand shift is that most other teams bring the full-back into the line as an extra runner.

Problem with Leeds doing that is if you put the ball in Hardaker's hands, it invariably wouldn't get to Watkins and Briscoe/Handley. Suppose you could set it up so either Hardaker loops in outside Watkins or pops up on his left shoulder for a little inside ball, but he can't play as an extra pivot in the way say Brent Webb did.

Not saying you're wrong...but I seem to remember Hardaker linking quite well to his right last season (at least in comparison to his linking to the left).....it was good to see him combining down the left at Les Catalans and making the extra man simple link and pass. I know it's nowhere good enough in comparison to the likes of Webb etc, but aren't the plays that are required something that can be better set up and practiced on the training field?

Hardaker is not a naturally creative player and has shown little sign of developing into one. When he first came into the side at left centre he showed his first thought was to go on his own and ignore Hall. At full back he has made his name as a defensive player with a good kick return game based on physicality and not linking skills. Whilst this has won him the MOS it has not helped our two centres who rarely are provided with the ball from a FB joining the line at speed, drawing a defender and creating space for their running skills. Both Moon and Watkins more often receive slow ball in static situations from second rowers.

I have always regarded FB as a prime position from which to create attacks and IMO our quality back line is somewhat wasted without a FB that both understands this and has the creative ability to put it into practice. Golding looks to have this ability but needs time to develop and gain experience. So there is a good argument to swop Hardaker and Watkins for a spell and see if we can get some sharpness back in the attack.