no I do know but you have a dig if it makes feel better.leeds pay all there juniors the same. always have.

if you think I'd betray a confidence like that on here you're deluded though. as for ablett and burrow I said at the time I'd been told by people in the media and the game that that was what was being reported. I simply posted it as such.

Sounds like it might be similar to 18 year old Josh Tymon who is currently a Hull city player and was offered (allegedly) a new contract on £500 a week by city but has, somewhat surprisingly, had his head turned by a counter offer of £7000 a week by stoke. These kids will never learn that money isn't everything (Unless you can earn a decade's real wages in a year)

Its a short career innit. Earn as much as you can.

It seems like Goldings five year deal has made him think twice about his opportunities here as a full back. Which is a shame because he's shown more quality in last week's game than Golding has all year. I know that sounds prone to hype and the test would be if he can do it week in week out. And of course he's too young for that yet. But I think if Golding had signed a 3 year deal walker may feel different.



Hopefully we can keep him which overall I'd say Leeds are pretty good at. Despite what gets written on here

Walker looks to have real class and abilities to become a star in several positions but I see him as a 6. Too soon to expect game management but his soft hands and eye for an opening could be used to best advantage in the most important position on the field and he would have less competition at 6 both at Leeds and at International level.

Golding should never have been given a 5 yr contract when so unproven. Walker has offered more this season than Golding.

According to Brian Mac's press conference today



Sutcliffe out for Sunday, Golding possible.

Keinhorst still a couple of weeks away from coming back.

Jimmy is hoping Hull next week.

Lot of talk about Golding's 5 year deal. Does anybody seriously think he's got an iron grip on the 1 shirt that he won't lose? Or that Warrington etc. don't have the likes of Ratchford who will be even harder to displace?

I find it amazing how after 3 decent games Walker is now thought of as the best full back to have ever played for Leeds and then people on here start slagging off Golding.

FFS Golding when he came in to the side last year showed some pretty good attacking flair too.

He has worked hard on his defense and saved a fair amount of try's similar to Hardaker did for us.

Walker is 17 and is showing bags of talent and is a great prospect that Leeds should do all they can to keep.

But let's not stick the knife into Golding as he too has talent and has not let us down this season like some more experienced players have.

For me Walker will make a good half back and in the future will and should play in the same team as Golding.

So how about us getting behind both of them hey?

well said.

some people here wrote Golding off before this season even started, so are quick to call him crap once again

Best 2 options.....



Eccles Rugby Club -15ish minute walk to the ground.



Barton Airport - 10 mins max walk to the ground.



I'm too lazy to post any links but I'm sure you can find them online.

Completely agree.



I would like to see Golding linking more with the attack but i just think he is following out the orders of Mac who seems to like his FB's to play a safety game bringing the ball back in the main, which is a shame as Golding is never going to be a meter maker with his size but i think he could have a big say in attacking plays given the orders.



You only have to look at Zak at Cas now to see this is down to the way we play. Zak had the advantage of being a line breaker so still stood out with us but it will be difficult for Golding to ever really stand out in our current system (whatever that is

). I would wager him being a revelation given an attacking role in a proper structure like Cas and Wigan have, but hey ho it is what it is with Mac while he is here, not gonna change now. As you say, his defence can't be faulted and he is still learning himself.

The use or non-use of Golding at full back is a bit bonkers really. With Hardaker it may have made sense to use him purely as a runner, because he's very good at it. But as you say, that will never be Golding's strength. In his early appearances he looked more like a halfback at fullback - playing to his strengths would mean giving him a playmaking role in attacking moves. Not doing so is plain odd.

McDermott told everyone what the juniors get paid after the WCC againt NQC - 12k.



If that is what Leeds have offered Walker then it is an insult and you cannot blame Walker for wanting away.



GH seems more savvy than that but he can be very stubborn and cut his nose off to spite his face e.g. the non return of Morley, Harris and Ellis.



If the rumours are true about Cameron Smith's contract then perhaps GH has learned from perceived previous errors of judgement.



Time will tell - I have no idea as to what has been offered but Walker is a special talent and as such will be coveted by many clubs failure to recognise that financially will be an error of judgement.

For me it's a clear as day that Jack Walker has more attacking threat than Golding. Walker (playing in the same system) looked to get involved in the attack a lot more. Now I'm not saying for one minute Golding is not good enough, far from it, but walker looks like a real attacking threat to me even at 17, he seems to be a bit more natural/instinctive in attack than Golding, but Golding is mighty in defence and he's some real talent also. Wonder if one of them could play on the wing or be a future half back so we could accommodate both?

I can't recall at any time McDermott saying what the Juniors are on. I can certainly tell you that the initial offer to Jack is lower than that figure, and why it is easy for other clubs to offer market value. There is a difference between wanting away though and looking after your future.

He mentioned how much the two half backs earned compared to Jonathan Thurston's number. You didn't need to be Einstein to work out how much Lilley was on.

Minimum wage for an 18 year old is £5.60 an hour so that is what GH should be paying as a minimum which where I got the c£12k from. Unless of course you are suggesting that Walker is an apprentice then GH could offer £3.50 an hour which equates to £7,280 which really would be an insult

Minimum wage for an 18 year old is £5.60 an hour so that is what GH should be paying as a minimum which where I got the c£12k from. Unless of course you are suggesting that Walker is an apprentice then GH could offer £3.50 an hour which equates to £7,280 which really would be an insult

Your figures don't stack up there, Sal. You are assuming a lot of hours per week, especially for a rugby player. They are not paid on full time set hours.

I am assuming 40 hours a week - players must put at least that in if you count match days. If they are not it is no wonder their skill set is so poor. All players in the NRL if fit put in more hours than that - perhaps that is why the Aussies beat us so easily





At the end of the day these players have to have somewhere to live and they need to be able to run a car - not easy to get to Kirkstall for a 5AM weights session on public transport





Anyone who thinks Leeds offers anything out of the ordinary in terms of coaching excellence is kidding themselves - we have a head coach who can't coach attack for goodness sake.



Why should a youngster with real talent stay at Leeds?

I agree with your point on the coaching and the need to earn market value. I do t agree on trying to work out hourly rates though. They have a fixed contract with an agreed remuneration. What Leeds do differently though, and me personally not in agreement, they give the annual, but also pay a bonus on the first appearance of new contract, to bump a bit.

I understand that but Leeds are nor exempt from employment law and as such must comply.



I have no idea what they have offered Walker but if its less than Cameron Smith then if I were Walker I would packing my kit and moving on.



Cameron Smith may have some talent that will someday emerge out of the fiasco that is the youth development regime at Headingley but Walker has that indefinable thing called "class" and that is something we haven't seen in a junior at Leeds since Watkins emerged.

Smith was way above Jack in both class and ability when he signed his contract, so that would be an unfair comparison. But at the end of the day Leeds paid market value to get Smith to sign, which is more relevant here. FWIW and to answer your question, the initial offer for Jack from Leeds was less than half of what Smith was given.



If you want to see talent, and exactly why Leeds have still persevered with him despite his non stop injuries, then you ought to see Reece Chapman Smith. He is some talent, but simply can not stop getting injured, and as a result not kicked on.