Would've been nice to nil them but at the same time after how they've performed this year it'd be a bit of a shame for them to enter the record books as the first team to not score in a GF. At least it was a former Leeds player that got it.

And also that is the first try we've conceded in the final 20 mins of ANY of our 8 GF wins and it came with about 60 secs left when the game was already well and tricky over.

Well at least it was over by the magic sixtys

Yea funnily enough I recon he should move on, either to another club or 'upstairs' for a bit, maybe do what Bennet did at the Broncos where he left for 5-6 years and then came back to a relatively new squad.

I just think that given our uncertainty around our spine positions for next season and the adjustment it will take to get over loosing Mags and Burrow that we probably wont be able to win anything for the next few years and by then he will be 10 years at the same club, which is a very long time in RL.

We might be better giving the job to someone who is ready to take on a project with a few to winning trophies a couple of years down the line as Powell has done with Cas, either a young up an comer or possibly someone like Hasler if we could secure him for a few years.

Either way, despite his faults, even Macs biggest critics have to admit he has done pretty well for the club, and it will take some beating for another coach to surpass his trophy record

I agree I don't think it means anything more. McGuire made comment in the press conference afterwards about McDermott having to find a solution to fitting both Walker and Golding in that sounded like he'll still be here next year. Think talking about it being the final chapter of the book, it is if you think of the book starting from the start of 2016 and everything that took place. GF night 2015 was the final chapter of another book. 2018 with McGuire and Burrow departing, a new captain, a new book a new story starts I guess. For his flaws as a coach he's very good at creating a story for the team to get behind to drive them on. Everyone of his GF wins has seemingly come with a written off, impossible narrative behind it.



Does at the time but i think you get that every time. Only in time and when we've had a period of not winning it can you look back and judge properly I guess. Think when that happens it'll either be 2015 or 2004 that tops most people's choice but as Burrow said each one has had a story which made them special in themselves.

2004 - first in 32 years and 2015 first time getting the better of Wigan in any 1st grade final in their shared history, first Leeds double (Champions and Challenge Cup), first Leeds treble adding LLS. 2017 was unexpected in some quarters - Castleford had a bad week and capped it off with saving their worst performance for last. I think I said after the semis the old saying 'you have to lose one before you can win one' could come into play. Leeds know all about Grand Final night and it showed, Castleford know a bit more about it now.

That last two minutes though - McDermott OUT.

True and that could help them if/when they get there again but you'd have probably thought the same about Warrington after 2012.

Suppose it's depends when they get there again and who the opposition is. The manner of the defeat might be quite scarring though.

I think if they get there again in the near future they'll probably lose.

You need to lose one to win one is a myth.

A myth it might be - Leeds lost one in '98 and have seemingly done OK since. Castleford will have learnt from the experience, doesn't mean they will ever win one (perhaps this will be the closest they ever come) but last night will still help them towards doing so.

TBF in those first two GF's (Wigan vs Leeds '98 @ Bradford vs Saints '99) it was guaranteed one of them would lose on their first GF appearance. Since then you've only had Hull, Warrington and Cas appear and no wins.

Problem is running into teams who have been there countless times. If Cas get there next year against Hull that'll be interesting. Cas have a GF appearance under their belts now against a Hull team who don't (yes the club were there in 2006 but that's so long ago no players are left) but have some CC's under their belts.

If Cas get back its highly unlikely they'll have to deal with anything as difficult as the Hardaker debacle again though. I don't think they'd have won with him, but what a thing to have to deal with.

The saying pre-dates the SL Era and was commonly heard after RL's then showpiece event - the Challenge Cup Final. Can't recall how accurately it tracked but losing finalists would be offered the phrase as consolation.

The lose one to win one didn't apply to us in 2004, then we only had McDermott from the 98 gf, the same as cas had Shenton who played for saints in 2011. We had been in the cc final in 2003, but so had cas in 2014.

I suppose we had bai and furner with nrl grand finals. I just don't think it holds any weight, the experience of losing a grand final doesn't improve your chances of winning another one IMO.

As you point out the majority of Leeds' 2004 Grand Final winners, were losers in Cardiff at the 2003 Challenge Cup Final. Not the same showpiece event but both showpiece events nonetheless, at huge neutral venues with week long media focused build ups.

Invaluable experience gained to carry forward into the next big showpiece occasion, collectively and individually. I'd be surprised if the Cardiff loss didn't particularly help Leeds' band of home grown products that played in both - namely Calderwood, Walker, Sinfield, Bailey, Diskin, Burrow and Ward (McGuire, Jones-Buchanan and Mathers (Warrington?) in and around the squad also)

And the reverse, Leeds losing Grand Finalists in '98 to Wembley winners in '99

Cas' team had Webster, Shenton, Holmes and Massey survivors from Wembley 2014 - with only Lynch as a possibility on Saturday - the other 12 all moved on.