I'll be the first to admit i really doubted the lad when he first came to us. I thought he was to clumbsy and offered nothing in attack and his defence was average at best. But now he is starting yo play very well and almost now becoming a key player with his versatitly. When does his contract end?

End of Next Year

He's got a new 1yr deal and bluey describes him as the "glue" that holds everything together!!
He was castigated by many when he was playing centre and don't get me wrong i myself have mentioned his "form" in the past but he really is maturing into a very good player and his versatility is a bonus.

Some of us stuck by him from the start and saw his potential.

you dont get the grand final rings he already has by being no good , he is a typical no nonsense player or rather unsung as jjb was for a while

That's bollox. Nathan Mcavoy and Ricky Bibey both have medals. Doesn't make them good players.

G1 would beg to differ

Schofield was a world class player but he won next to nothing. Doesn't make him a bad player. Likewise, winning medals doesnt make you a good player.

That's why sweatysock was talking s[ihi[/ite.

I have had my reservations about Ablett – thought he could be a liability at times and defensively could be a bit slack but (especially the latter half of this season) he’s really matured into a solid, no-nonsense player.

Hes had a great season for us and his versitility has been fully noted all season imo.

Am I alome in thinking Ablett played a blinder last night ? There were three 'gentlemen' in our colours stood behind me shouting that he was a richardedward . Obviously they do not appreciate how hard it is out here and have never set foot on a field of play .

Knobheads

Agreed ablett Is awesome and has been a key part of this team since 07!! his performance of the bench in 07 was top notch, getting through a ton of hard work along with kirkie!! This was never more clear than his 07 gf performance which was an oustanding example of pure graft off the bench!!

He's improved a lot this season, arguably the most improved player in the squad, and well worth a good contract next year.

There are loads of good players with little to show for their careers in terms of medals. The point about the likes of Kirke and Ablett (and McAvoy and Bibey for that matter) is that they did what's asked of them when it counted, in a GF. And for that they deserve their medals, regardless of how 'good' they may be. Similarly Harvey Howard managed to get a winning Aus GF medal for the Broncos due to injury and he wouldn't rate anywhere near the top props I've seen in the NRL.

Schofield was a better player than any of the above. By miles. But IMO (and I know some people beg to differ regarding the first Wembley) he never really showed up for Leeds in a major final at stand off. And when anyone looks at the record books they'll see he was involved in winning just one Yorkshire Cup in his time with Leeds. A sort of modern-day Arthur Clues - great player with naff-all to show for it.

Bottom line is, Ablett and Kirke, having been dissed as useless, average etc by a fair number of 'fans' have shown the value in having players who perform to their best at the right end of the season. I'm sure you could have swapped them for better players in each of the last two GFs - but not from the Leeds squad, and in the days of the salary cap they are (I'd guess) lesser-paid players who play way above their weight. Would you swap them for similarly ranked players in the Sts squad? I suspect not.

From what I've seen Ablett has a lot going for him. Was Allan injured BTW? Why was Ablett picked at stand off?