Christopher is correct so back on topic is it fact that Ash Handley is definitely staying? Because I've heard whispers to the contrary.

Contracted 'til 2026 I thought??

Catalan are rumoured to be interested but they would have to stump up a large fee as he is contract untill 2026.

wouldn't totally surprise me if Ash moved on, he's top class and wants to win things... we're a way off delivering that to him. We're at the stage now where top players won't automatically be drawn to playing for Leeds as they once were as we've not competed regularly at the top for years and we don't look like a club heading in the right direction.... it's starts to tell with recruitment and retention.

I know, it's not like we've just signed an England international hooker and a Man of Steel stand off or anything. Of course we can still attract players and keep them, Handley himself is signed up for another two years and we have just renewed Newmans contract.



How is signing for Catalans a guarantee of winning things, what exactly have they won bar a CC final six years ago, we have actually won something more recently than they have, yes they were in the GF last year but so were we the year before.

Lighten up guys, not everything is doom and gloom.

it's not Chris. my point is that Leeds has no longer quite got the automatic pulling power it once had because we're frankly miles off being regular real title and cup challengers and have been for years. Eventually that shows. Of course we're still big enough to attract top talent like Croft and Ackers, but it's not quite what it was. Now with a club like ours given it's size and quality of facilities it should be an easy fix, once we're heading in the right direction then we're back in play

We weren't winning things when we signed Ellery Hanley, Iestyn Harris, Keith Senior, or Ali Lauitiiti.

Of course the glimmer of silverware may have attracted the likes of Buderus, Peacock, Webb etc but I doubt it was ever the primary factor.

Handley is a key member of the leadership group at Leeds, and was also a member of the 2015 triple winning squad, if not any of the final winning teams.

Not winning things regularly doesn't help us, it just means we have to pay a bit more to get the players than we otherwise would do. Leeds is still a big draw in UK. The answer is in producing our own players in enough volume that we are then looking to sign the icing rather than the cake...

Pretty much this im told hes disillusioned and had his head turned with the lifestyle and £££ but them signing Makinson might have put an end to the interest its all hearsay.

I would say the reason we signed the 2 from Salford was down to the amount of money we paid and how desperate Salford were for the money.
Both players were happy to stay at Salford until they were told Salford had accepted the offer.
£300k is a lot of money in the SL world when most players move for nothing.
My point is Leeds is not the attraction it used to be. Not winning trophies is one consideration and the style of play or the way they are coached could be another factor.
But given time things might change. It is the length of time that concerns me.

If we’re talking overseas signings, SL in general isn’t as attractive as used to be either!

Getting likes of Buderus, Webb, Lauititi etc is long gone.