The more I think about this, the greater the difficulty I have in seeing how this is going to work. Like many others, I think Brierley will be deficient at this level, at least until he gets more game time. But Sutcliffe needs the game time too. And the team needs McGuire, for one more season at the very least. If I wasn't being told different by posters like yourself who clearly have some inside info, I'd say that this was a deal that definitely wasn't about to happen, regardless of Leigh's progress (or lack of).

Not just that, Sinfield is 35 next month, this is the right time for him to go while he is still close to the top of his game.And there is every chance he will leave raising all 3 trophies, what an abiding memory that would be and very fitting.Sinfield is too smart to tarnish that imo.

I can not see how anyone can say he will be deficient at this level without seeing him there. The best to compare to would be Burrow, as he has the same sort of game as him. However, Brierley has a better pass in him, and a better kicking game. They are equally pacey, and both a running game. For me as a replacement for Burrow, which I think he will be, will be an excellent move.

Just to clarify, when you say "replacement for Burrow" do you actually mean "replacement for McGuire come 2017"?

Because the idea of playing Ryan Brierley as an interchange hooker scares the living bejesus out of me.

We've seen him play a few times at this level, i.e. against SL opposition. And while he was good against us in the CC last year and decent against Salford (I think) he's been a bystander to the point of being a liability in others. Now that in itself doesn't make him a bad player, it's what one would expect in a half making a big step up. But he's currently miles away from being the player Burrow is. IMO, of course.

It's also worth remembering that Sutcliffe is currently recovering from a very serious knee injury. There's no guarantee he'll come back the same player. With Sinfield leaving, Sutcliffe recovering from injury, and Jordan Lilley being a year or 2 away from being quite ready then signing someone like Brierley seems like the sensible option to me.

Yeah, obviously not an hooker. You are correct in your assumption, I was thinking more along the lines of a few years back, with Burrow at scrumhalf, McGuire at Stand off, and Sinfield at loose, and how this will be in the future, which I see Brierley taking the Burrow role.

And I don't accept Clearwings suggestion that he has been a bystander. When Leigh were on top, he was brilliant in the CC against Salford, Wakefield, and Warrington. He was brilliant the other week in the qualifers against Salford, and again against Wakefield this past weekend.

Whether he would be a success for Leeds, well only time will tell with that, but he is just the same sort of gamble as anyone else.

Agreed.
He's a young player who's already more than proved himself at Championship level for the best team at that level. IMO he's exactly the kind of player we should be looking at, as if we get him, we'll probably have him long term. The same can't be said for an NRL signing, other than maybe Widdop, and NRL signings, especially halves, have been notoriously hit and miss in SL.
If we're to take a risk (and I don't actually think he's a big risk at all) then I'd rather we took a punt on a young English lad like Brierley than an expensive NRL signing.

The only knock on Brierley I had was that I'd heard less than flattering things about his attitude and the people around him when he was at Cas.

If that's no longer the case, then the up side definitely outweighs the negatives.

A year or two ago I wouldn't have been sure as our attack was t suited. Now this season our attacking style is a great fit for a player of Brierley's style.

He hasn't got Sinfield's game management but if we sit around waiting for somebody who has then we'll be waiting a very long time for a HB.

Should remember he's playing for a different team in a different league. What he could learn and adapt to his game is capable of improving if he came here instead of a Leigh team who threw away a possible win vs Wakey with poor discipline. How much game management can a HB learn when his team stroll past most teams for the last few years. A 60-10 win doesn't require much game management now does it.

On the Brieley deal, wouldn't it be possible that we're signing him on a long contract (to avoid anyone else signing him when his contract runs out at the end of next year) with the idea of loaning him out for a year - possibly back to Leigh - but having him contracted to come in at the end of 2016 for either Burrow or McGuire. We did a similar thing when we signed Hardaker from Fev, though injuries meant we recalled him from his loan within the first year.

It doesn't and is why it'll be a massive step up. He'll also be playing in front of 15k instead of 4 or 5 which can cut either way depending on our results and his form. There are a lot of questions unanswered for me. I'm not saying he'll prove to be a bad signing, assuming he does sign of course, merely that I really doubt he'll slot seamlessly into an attacking machine of a side that crushes all before it. Which would be nice but rarely happens.

This might be true but would it do much to further his development?

I like how you're all disregarding McDermott and Hetherington when they say we'll sign a hooker, and then that's business done. We will not sign Brierley for 2016. He'll go for free in 2017

You do realise that McDermott also said we had recruited a replacement for Sinfield too? Not have a replacement, but recruited?