In terms of the final i think all sides Senior ,Tony Smith and the Medics have to carry the blame between them it was a gamble that ultimately back-fired and left us with "what if"?

With hindsight I can completely agree with that but to say that is your overriding memory of Seniors Leeds career is imo very selective.........or just plain trolling

Back to blaming Keith for the 2005 cup loss are we? I will say one more time, it was Calderwood's fault. Of all the moments in the game the only one that you could say would have truly guaranteed a Leeds victory was when he and Mathers conspired to knock on the last minute grubber kick that resulted in the scrum Hull scored from at the death. It was a desperate, awful kick basically giving the game to Leeds and he mucked it up completely. He dives on the ball (or gets out of the way and lets Mathers drop on it) we win.

Of course you could also point out that Hull played their game of the season and other players made errors, but no, let's blame Keith for the whole day. If that's the best you sad trolls can come up with there needs to be no further response. You've got nothing.

Senior playing in the 2005 final was a mistake. Exactly what went on between Senior, Smith and the medics behind the scenes none of us know. If asked to hold someone responsible for that decision I'd suggest Smith as the coach. However, two points should be noted:

1. As others have pointed out, we did not lose that final because of Senior playing or team selections. The Leeds side that took the field that day was good enough to beat Hull and win the cup - we were winning 24-19 with a few minutes to go, even after Bai's gift of a try, and went behind due to Calderwood/Mathers (I'd personally say Calderwood) failing to deal with a grubber that wasn't that threatening.

2. Whatever happened that day or whoever's fault it was, we should not overlook that Senior has been one of our best, most dangerous and most consistent players in the last decade. He's left at the end of his contract after 12 years service including being a key part in our most successful era. He deserves some gratitude and respect for that and deserves better than he's had from Crusaders.

WARNING...SENTIMENT ALERT

I took my then girlfriends kids to Wembley in 1999, one a Man Yoo fan, but I insisted he come so that he had been to Wembley before they pulled it down. The other was a dyed in the wool Rhino. The day started with getting on the train pulled by a loco called "Leeds United" , full of Leeds fans on their way to West Ham. The footy fans mobbed the kids, spoiled them rotten and made them laugh all the way to London.
The journey to Wembley was hilarious, Shaun, the Man Yoo fan was hooked, by the time kick off started, he'd got his shirt signed by Marvin Golden (don't ask), we'd watched Barries lad go haring across the pitch followed by his mum, who sank in her heels. Someone elses child was sent to collect McDermott jr. And had a lot of banter with the London fans at our end.

By the time we got home, the kids were elated, simply elated, tired out, ho, but pumped up with sheer joy. And I had been so glad to have brought them that, even just in a small way.

In 2005 I went with a pal to Cardiff, and as is my wont sat once again with the opposition fans. This time I was sat amongst a large family, grandma, who was in her 70's, daughters, sons, kids, grandkids, and NONE of them had ever seen their team win a Challenge cup.
I shared their journey to the same kind of elation and sheer joy that our Sarah and Shaun had experienced 6 years before. the jokes, the banter, the nerves, the shouting the screaming, the tears when they thought it had gone. The explosion as Brough scored that kick. At the hooter it was real tears and hugs and kisses and just pure innocent happiness.

I don't remember the 2005 final for anything else. You see I remember how I felt in 1994 in the semi. I remember what it was like and yes we lost, and I am sure that there were Leeds kids heartbroken at the other end. But history suggests that they have done ok since. Those kids I sat with, well they'll remember that forever won't they?

I don't regret what happened in 2005 at all. It was still in the top three of matches that I have been to for sheer pleasure.

And that ladies and gentlemen, is what the show is all about.

Its got fook all to do with sprained ankles.

meh. I remember it for the train breaking down within a mile of leaving Leeds, and then, after they managed to get it going, sitting at Doncaster for a couple of hours before literally making it into the Stadium as the kick off whistle blew.

The inclusion of Senior, the omission of Barry Mac, and the brainfart of Bai made for a memorial day....

Sentiment was in short supply on the return journey.

It will be a long time before we have a cup final as good as the 2005 one.

On the subject of Barrie Mac, the game before the final (Bradford when Senior got injured) Barrie had probably the worst game of pro rugby he has ever played, the decision to drop Barrie has been much maligned by some posters........some would say the same posters who have criticized the other Mac for not picking players by form this year.

For me the dropping of Barrie Mac was not a big issue per se, but it was the fact that he wasn't replaced with another prop that was more of an issue

I thoroughly enjoyed the 2005 final, as I did 2003. I would have liked, both times, to have the weekend capped by a Leeds win, but they were both tremendous sporting spectacles in a fantastic stadium and featured loads of fun and banter on the streets and in the pubs of Cardiff before and after.

My abiding memory of the 2005 final was trying to get the head of the Ronnie the Rhino suit back to our hotel in Bath on a train full of Hull fans. Fortunately they were not the sharpest tools in that particular box and were readily confused until I made my escape...

On a related topic, am I alone in thinking that I would like the Challlenge Cup to return to Cardiff? The before and after match experience on my two visits to Wembley for the final since it re-opened has been pretty lame by comparison.

Tanseys tweet wins:

Jordan Tansey tweeted: "F***ing joke. Looks like a labouring job for me!"

The game following the Challenge Cup final in 2005 was an away game at Wigan and Senior didn't put his hand up for that so I guess you must be right.

The decision to play could have been a masterstroke: many, many players have taken the field including, indeed often, notably in Challenge Cup Finals well short of being 100% fit.

With the benefit of hindsight I'd suggest the gamble didn't pay off and perhaps foresight should have reached the same conclusion at the time. Those are the breaks.

So cynical.

Anywhere he says he will be labouring. Someone should remind the chooone lover that labouring means a bit of graft, putting a shift in. He'll struggle.