How bizarre that he could play for England yet still be classed as overseas. It's a funny old world...

I saw him training at Hartpury college pre-season in 2008 and he looked absolutely buggered. Unfit and looked cumbersome, was a real shame. I was thinking he might be returning from injury but it was pre-season and they all looked a little behined and he was doing full contact work and all the drills with the main squad so not sure why he was so off the pace.

Although given that we still have Sheriffe, there is still a spot for him in my team!

This report: www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/ja ... r-biarritz casts some doubt over the shape he's in. Can't see that a return to Odsal is likely, however a reunion with Brian Noble might be.

This report: www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/ja ... r-biarritz casts some doubt over the shape he's in. Can't see that a return to Odsal is likely, however a reunion with Brian Noble might be.

Heart - yes

Head - no

Just as long as he doesn't save his best performance for Odsal! That would be just like him

All the best with your future decision Les but I think another tilt at Superleague is a mistake. I'd like to remember him as he was - at headingley, 7 against Hull and making Karl Fitzpatrick fill his pants when he cocked his arm! Bet Calderwood is still bricking it though!

At the moment I would ask anyone to consider the question, if a half-fit LV played against Sheriffe, who do you think would come out on top? I wish Rikki well, and hope he improves leaps and bounds, but if I were picking the team, I'd pick Les every time.

I'd take him over Sheriffe With wooden legs, nevermind dodgy knees. If he wanted to come back and was fit enough then i'd take him, Wing is our weakest area in the team atm imo.

Let's not forget the popularity factor in all of this, Lesley returning to Odsal would certainly increase the numbers through the gates.

I expect McNamara has a reasonable idea of just how bad his knee's are and whether he has a couple more years left in the tank. If he isn't asking silly money and is in decent condition then I would hope we would give serious consideration.

Perhaps I am just desperate to see a new winger!

But he wouldn't be a new winger though! (Ooops I'm sounding like Tigertot!)

Heart no head yes (at the right price, salary cap and quota permitting). I'd rather see Les a shadow of himself in his glory days but doing a job we need doing than him doing that same job for someone else.

thats the obvious block to any talk of les returning. AFAIK he left for union a year before the new quota rules and the cutoff date for him to re-classified as federation trained. He had to be playing in SL when the quota rules changed as I understand it. so if he came back he count as a full overseas quota player. Doubt anyone would use a full quota spot on a player with LV's injury record and age.

Can anyone realistically see Les playing for anything like an affordable package? Given the money available in Union?

The only way you'd get Les, I suspect (and assuming quota space...) is if you got some friendly "totally unconnected" business to pay his personal service company megabucks for his image rights, and as a result he'd be happy to play for a small package. (No...really...).

That is not impossible given Les' very high profile and marketability, so for anyone signing him I'd worry less about the cap space and more about finding this unconnected third party - which would surely be a bit tricky given there is supposed to be no connection...

Wakefield Trinity keen to bring Lesley Vainikolo back to Super League

[urlhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/jan/18/wakefield-trinity-lesley-vainikolo[/url