Whilst potentially looking at finishing the weekend in bottom spot yesterday I was having a think about how, why, where it’s all gone wrong. Similarly Huddersfield, who whilst not winning a great deal in terms of trophies, find themselves languishing at the foot of the table after always been in the mix come season end in recent years.

The truth is, and it’s been mentioned elsewhere on here, we are not a very good league team. We’ve always lacked consistency, that killer punch. In the past whilst Wigan, Saints et al have demolished teams like Wakefield and Castleford we’d more often than not just scrape a win. We found the formula to playing badly but still winning. It wasn’t or isn’t pretty but with the players we had it worked enough to get us where we needed to be. We’d play the mid to bottom table sides and more often than not come away with a win and we’d play the top 4 or 5 confident that we would compete the majority of the time. In recent years this has found us in 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th position come season end but enough for where we needed to be at “the business end” of the season.

Then there’s “big game” Leeds. The ability to prove doubters wrong time and time again. The unrivalled ability to get up for that one big moment no matter who we were playing against. No team has come close to Leeds over the last 10 years for the ability to achieve things we had no right to achieve but still got them anyway. As Leeds fans we have been spoiled rotten. Whilst Wigan, Saints, Warrington etc have probably seen more consistency and comprehensive league victories over the years they have all faltered when it mattered whether it be against us or each other. They will all be the first to say they haven’t achieved as much as they should or would like to have.

Putting the anomaly that is 2015 to one side we have always had this unrivalled ability to be mediocre, inconsistent, ugly and still come up with the goods when it mattered. Now 1 or 2 men don’t make a team but it’s no coincidence that JP and Kev will go down as 2 of the greatest SL players of all time resulting in MBE’s, MOS, Golden Boot, SPOTY nomination, etc and to lose these two has hit us harder than we expected. Sinfield, whilst not being the best player in his position over the last 20 years of SL, had a kicking game and head for game management second to none. JP would run his blood to water for the team he loved and supported as a child. Sinfield would direct the plays, tell people where he wanted them to be and control the game beautifully. JP would lead from the front, and I suspect if you weren’t giving your all or making 110% effort you could expect to be pulled to one side and given a spray by JP whether it be on the training pitch or on a matchday. We’ve lost this. And no matter how good the players we think we might have we don’t have the coolest head in game management anymore and we don’t have anyone who’s not afraid to pull you to one side and give you a spray if he thinks you’re not giving your all. Watch the team under the sticks now and you’ll see them all stood waiting for the conversion, no talking.

“Big game” Leeds is gone. And ugly Leeds isn’t strong enough to compete. Before Easter I was confident of making the top 8. Now not so much. I can’t see where our next win is coming from at the moment. I think it’s time to go back to basics, chopping and changing the team every week doesn’t help. Consistency breeds consistency and that’s what we need. Rotate the subs, give the forwards time to recoup and stop playing this one up, panicky style of rugby that seems to have set in. Complete our sets, kick on the last and regroup ready to go again.

I love Leeds and consider myself a die hard so booing, leaving early and stopping going is not an option for me. That’s not a criticism of anyone, you pay your money, you do as you like. But for all the glory we’ve had and the way we have been spoilt I think some could do with a reality check. Nothing last forever, it’s a cycle. And from the mid 90’s to now we have gone full cycle ready for the next “Golden Generation”

RANT OVER

Out of interest, before I read the rest of your post, which teams have been more consistent and possessed more of a killer punch? I'm inferring from the use of the word "always" you're talking about a timeframe of quite a few years?

Read the next few sentences, you'll get the jist.

I would agree with you. Think it is simply a case of rebuilding from the bottom up. It is clear we need a signing next year who can take the lead mantle from the likes of JP and KS. However, my concern is that the academy is bringing young talent in but at the moment we don't seem to be bringing in the so called 'workhorses or ugly players' who get things done and wind up the opposition. Delaney and Bailey come to mind. I thought Galloway may have that fire but not seen it yet.

The half backs are not really dominating play and I think thats where investment is needed next year.

However, I know the Rhinos will pull through. Think we will scrape into the top 8 and next year a top 6 finish is a realistic goal

I fully agree with the OP's sentiments. I still don't believe we should be where we are though, quite frankly with the individual talent we have out on the pitch it should still be enough to get over most teams in this SL.

That said, it could turn out to be a good thing, the things that clearly need sorting should get sorted sooner now rather than waiting for a gentle slip down the ladder over the next few years before anything is done.

I should have, shouldn't I?

Yours is a good post but I'm not sure the "winning ugly" scenario was ever as manifest as is claimed. It certainly didn't apply to the sides of 04 and 05, nor to the side that eviscerated saints in the 07 GF. Or in 2011, after we'd toppled wire in a crackling semi. So, now I've read your post properly, I'll change my question and ask which sides have played with greater flair than Leeds during the golden period? Maybe it's just me being a glass half full type (although logging on here there's always the chance William p1ssed in it while my back was turned )

I think we have lacked a bit of nasty in the pack. I also think we have a lot of fowards who consider their forte to be attacking rather than defending.

Look at the amount of work Cuthbo is having to do, I can't help but think pairing him with a Bailey type player, whose job is to basically soak up tackles, would do him the world of good.

Imo Galloway was signed to do that job, but has so far failed.

I think you're right about on-field leadership and motivation especially in backs-to-the-wall situations. How often have we seen Kev or JP rallying the troops under the posts?

The problem is that you can't bring this in from outside, at least not straight away. Galloway and Ferres are both experienced players, but if they start shouting the odds in a new team it could have a negative not positive effect. Of the Leeds veterans, Ablett and Burrow just don't have that sort of leadership in them. JJB could do a version of JP's Sergeant Major role - even though he's always been more of an Corporal before - but I don't see McGuire as a Sinfield-like General.

Maybe it was naive to think we could lose Peacock and Sinfield and not be seriously affected. I think most people expected some form of adjustment period....but not to this extent. I think it's correct that the leadership, game management and influence of Sinfield got us out of narrow scrapes, sometimes on a weekly basis which at the time maybe got brushed under the carpet.

Just little things like the right last tackle option at a crucial stage in the game, a difficult conversion from the touchline which puts us in front or gives us the 2 try cushion at an important stage in the game. You know, things that don't always gain a lot of attention because it's not a flashy try scoring play, and I guess these things happened many times that would help us to win games that could have gone the other way, which made a big difference to the table, our form momentum and ultimately winning trophies.

We just assumed we were doing what we do - winning more games than we lose. I guess it just never got scrutinized properly with no one pointing out ''Hey without sinfield, we'd be losing alot of these games and be in mid table''.

Now we don't have sinfield and suddenly seeing these games go the other way people are asking ''what the hell is going on?''

Could'a swore that Leeds finished around mid-table on more than one occasion with Sinny and JP at the helm. Or did I imagine Leeds finishing 5th (twice) and 6th in recent seasons?

I guess without Sinfield in particular, Leeds could have finished closer to the bottom of the league on several occasions in recent seasons then.

WOW! Maybe this season isn't such a shock after all

Not just those two, we also lost Kylie, Paul Aiton and Ian Kirke.