In our "glory years" we won SL four times. Leeds have won it five times in the last 6 years. It irks me to say it but if you take the whole SL era since 1996, Leeds are the only ones competing with St Helens for "the best club in the SL era".

There are 3 trophies on offer at most each year, 4 if you count the irrelevant hub cap, and Leeds have won 2 this year. They are the best club around as they seemingly have won the comp for the last 2 years whilst not relying on bending the salary rules like others (including ourselves in the past) have!

For many BUlls fans, the 2005 win from third was the best of our 4 SL titles (although I think the first was as it was under the old system), even better than our brilliant season in 2003. Does 1999 come close because we finished top but lost in the final? NOt for me I am afraid.

I dont normally ever want leeds to win anything, but lets not forget, they have helped us a lot this year when we've needed it the most! They deserve their plaudits. 9 years ago, Sinfiled was abit of a joke character when he shouldve gone for 2 at Cardiff, and we were the most successful club around. How times have changed!

So, well done Jimmy and Brian Mac. True BUlls legends. But lets not get concerend too much with Leeds, we have got bigger matters in hand here! BUt 5 titles in 6 years does in my opinion count as a golden era!

The voice of common sense, and I couldn't agree more. It's easy to get into the 'we're a big club near the top and it will last forever', sort of attitude, but generally it doesn't last "forever", or even close to it, and many clubs will get their turn in the sun, if they wait around for it. There are many decisions taken by the bods in charge; some turn out for the best and some, well, don't, but you can never tell what [iwill[/i work and what [iwon't[/i, until it's too late.

Let's get a team based around the young players and a few older veterans then give them their head - we've little to lose and much to gain, but let's keep immediate expectations to a minimum, eh?.

Personally I'm not sure there is any such plan, even considering your humorous faux pas. I generally think RFL or SLE do a reasonable job in impossible circumstances. It's the easiest thing in the world to blame all RL's problems, as those from Royston Vasey Warriors are doing because they lost in the play-offs, at the feet of the RFL without any knowledge of what work is actually going off behind the scenes.

Of the big 7, I presume you are referring to Hudds' sugar daddy, as this is oft mentioned. From what I can gather Davy has a genuine love of the area & is happy pumping in his money. Hudds are probably alone in that bunch in not being sustainable from a current attendance perspective. Cats have shown the difference between having a good coach & a useless fat Aussie on a drinking holiday with his Brizzy buddies. But that, & Wakey's remarkable achievements this season, what can be attained with the right structure in place.

Catalans took approx 5m Euros in sponsorship & corporate sales last financial year.

And their superb new stand had a significant amount of local/regional government support.

A club on the up.

This ^

I'll just be thankful to have a team to watch, and if they can compete, show some progress and not give in, all the better. Thats all I want from SL 2013.

You are welcome to your opinion, but this Leeds team isn't a patch on the Bulls at their pomp.


First I don't think the salary cap issues had [ianything at all[/i to do with our successes. Second, your comments reflect the difference between (and I am not aiming this personally at you BTW) a statistician who has all the figures numbers and percentages, and someone who actually watches the game and understands and appreciates the play. Statistics can be used to 'prove' pretty much anything.


I am one of those weird people that likes the playoffs. I think there is great merit in being the team that sweeps almost all before it to finish top of the pile, and that gives that team the best claim - at that stage - to be called a great team or to use the season's performance as partial evidence of greatness. The fact that you don't [ineed[/i to finish top to be Champions, whilst true, doesn't detract any more than a couple of percent from the achievement of a team which genuinely murdered the league.

But then there is the end of season comp, which is (almost) knock-out rugby, and to be Champions you have to be the best at that.

So if a team wins from 5th or 6th it CAN indeed cite those wins as evidence of it's claim to greatness. Unfortunately, though, it can NOT cite it's over-the-season performances in support, as frankly over the season it did not play all that great, and so to me can't qualify as a great team. in the sense I mean when I talk of great teams.

Moving on to Leeds specifically, we have a generally ageing squad that has two years on the trot summoned up from somewhere the spirit and determination to win at any price, and has done so. Taken in conjunction with their performances in the preceding years, when they were perhaps "at their peak" and playing overall far better rugby, they do indeed merit the description of a great team, golden era, call it what you want.


Actually I didn't blame him, the decision was on his shoulders, he made it and it was not an unreasonable one. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but nobody can say that decision cost Leeds the game, because it didn't. Times, of course, have always changed and always will. Leeds' good times will inevitably decline too. Sinfield, though, surely deserves to go down as one of the legends of the game.

I presumed Caddick was throwing his money at Leeds. Cats, I am not sure about.

It's my opinion that this Leeds team has won almost as many titles as Wigan did in their pomp but in a more competitive league.

Bit isn't that sort of stats based thing rather than an opinion?

I had an interview last friday at Odsal with the corporate manager (Simon) about a possible job opening at bulls.

Well, I got the placement !!!!! I'm soo pleased, although its gunna start as a non-paid role with a view to making it a paid job

I'm not so sure that Caddick can be termed a sugar daddy. The development of the stadium (and both the Rhinos and Carnegie) has been the result of very astute business where the funds have been secured from sources outside Carrick's "empire". And now the Rhinos side is so successful that the joint operation runs at a profit. Some of the Leeds fans are convinced that Carrick became involved to secure the future of his primary sporting love--kick and clap. They believe the Rhinos substantially subsidise the Union operation.
With Catalans ,as noted above, there is very substantial municipal and local business involvement. Using the name of Catalans rather than Perpignan was a master stroke-- it served to ensure local businesses and councils were seen to be backing a distinct national identity.