Interesting times coming up at Carnegie I feel...

In the bigger scheme of things he's no loss. However, as the team gets older we are beginning to have a worrying lack of pace in the side.

As I posted on the previous page.

However, don't get too carried away. When Bradford's decline under McNamara set in the Bulls were losing big name players like Peacock, Pryce and Fielden in quick succession, a certain player was taking up too much of your salary cap, and the ability to pay a full cap had diminished (at least for a season or two). As none of this has happened at Leeds (yet - although losing Eastwood was a big loss to the side), I don't see us plumbing the depths of SL any time soon.

That said, I have no expectations that Leeds will be winning any silverware next season either. It will be interesting to see how McDermott goes as coach. It certainly has many of the hallmarks of the McNamara appointment at Bradford, and I wouldn't be surprised if things don't improve, or get worse. Then again, there's also a slim chance that McDermott will develop into a more Brian Noble-esque coach (i.e. British and successful). Who knows - I suppose that's the great thing about the unpredictability of sport. It would be foolish of anyone to utterly reject him now or pronounce him as a definite future success.

Fair point and TBH I think it was before Lee Smith came back that I was watching the games, who I think is a very able replacement (as much as I dont like the guy)

I'm not entirely inspired by the choice of McDermott, but I think a lot of this comes down to the fact that Hetherington has brought forward the start of the rebuilding that was already marked for 2012 to a year earlier. In the long term that's probably not a bad thing. I say that because Hetherington seemed particularly upset by leeds' Wembley 'performance' - which would not have been much different had Peacock played. Follow that with being flattened at home by Wigan in the Play Offs (lacking only Peacock and McGuire of note) and I suspect Hetherington decided to act.

In terms of players, Leeds have been stuffed up a lot by the Eastwood saga. We got one year out of him, but I suspect Leeds did their utmost to persuade him to stay. In retrospect we should never have made him come over when it was clear he didn't really want to. As it is it would appear that we left our recruitment for next season way too late - hence signing Cross rather than someone else.

Given the need for change being decided upon late in the day, Leeds were never going to be in a position to recruit a top Aussie coach for next year. McDermott has been given a difficult task, and I just hope Leeds don't scrimp on the important things - rather than trying to sign another average Aussie I'd rather Hetherington looks to bring in some really good backroom staff - a young Aussie assistant with plenty of ideas and up to date thinking would be the way to go IMO.

I'm quite sad to see Bluey leave. Hes a cracking coach, and I think he's a good bloke too. Ive always enjoyed the way he talks about Leeds and RL in general with so much passion. He's a loss to the British game and I wish him all the best in the future.

Brian Mac, I think he'll go well at Leeds, they are a settled side and he'll have a couple of years to work out how he wants things doing.

He wouldnt have been the best choice of coach for us though, I think we made the right choice.

A lot of assumptions being made that Bluey leaving and Macs arrival equates to some mass break up of a winning formula. Hmmm. Conversely I happen to think he is an excellent appointment and one we should have made over and above Mick Potter. McDermotts development of a plethora of locally born London players was an absolute credit to him. Meanwhile back at the ranch, we sign a 32 year old player with a love of ink cartridges instead of having faith in and developing our home produced talent.

Brian will sort the Rhinos camp out big style in terms of diva strops and keeping everyone happy. He evidently already has the respect of senior players he has worked with previously and criticially it's great to see one of the games giants appoint a British coach.

Us not appointing Brian will bite us on the @rse. All things Aussie don't always equate to success.

Much as I hate to say it, well done GH

Irrelevant.



Yes, the 3 time Grand Final and Challenge Cup Final losing coach. Makes sense.



Why would it be?



He was interviewed this year and wasn't offered it. Probably because his Yorkshire accent didn't have an antipodean twang to it. Yes, I'm sure he will have genuinely fond feelings towards the club. No, really.

Absolutely and intended to be so.



I've yet to see anyone explain this "transition" myth.
Donald played little footy compared to previous years, Smith and others replaced.
Eastwood has been replaced by Cross, an excellent player albeit not like for like.
Diskin was poor this year and McShane and Hood will evidently push on.
Buderus is far more effective over 80 minutes.
Effectively 2 new signings in the form of Kalum Watkins and Ben Jones Bishop - they would walk into any SL squad, period. So where is this vast transition that people swathingly mention?
Clarkson, Pitts, Amor another year of development under their belts and with a coach who evidently revels in producing and enhancing young, home born athletes.
Squad rotation happens at every single club in the salary cap era - the Rhinos player turnover is no more grave than any other year.
Webb, Senior, Hall, McGuire, Burrow, JP, Bailey, Cross, Buderus, Ali, Ablett, Kylie, JJB, Sinfield etc would stroll into any SL team.
There squad quality is a country mile ahead of ours. Would they accommdate Sibbitt, Worrincy, Platt, Halley, Wagga, Hall, Kopczak, Sykes et al? Would they feck.



The comments of a number of senior Rhinos players regarding Macca.
His faith, development and belief in the youth system at Quins and batting way above their weight given the shackles he had.
He has produced London born England internationals. Had Wayne Bennett done that at Quins, a number of regular forum posters would be constantly wiping white liquid off their keyboards.
Potter has lost the last 3 Grand Finals - hardly inspiring given his roster of quality players.

What makes you think Potter is a superior appointment to McDermott?

Well McDermott's tenure at Quins saw them finish in a lower league position each year IIRC.

The likes of Clubb and LMS came through under the watch of his predecessor. The current kids coming through seem to be less talented at the same stage. The performances of Quins seem to bear this out.

Good judges I have spoken to who watch a lot of Quins thought he lost the plot.

He'll have to manage a transition at Leeds as a number of senior players will become less influential with age and move on over the next few years. I'm thinking of the likes of Peacock, Sinfield, Senior etc. Add to that Buderus and Diskin already being gone and you have some pretty big boots to fill.

I don't see anything "evident" about McShane or Hood pushing on. McShane will most likely get more games but the jury is very firmly out on them. I'd be surprised if Leeds have a bunch of juniors coming through that will match the likes of Burrow, McGuire, Sinfield, Diskin, Bailey, etc. Generations like that don't come along often.

Notice I'm not comparing Leeds current player roster with our own. Of course Leeds have a stronger squad. I never said otherwise. However that team that one back to back titles is going to break up so maybe over the next few years the gap between the two sides will close, I'm sure it will, with the Bulls improving and Leeds falling back.

As did his budget.



And the rest of the London born batch? Less talented how? The performances reflect his lack of budget arguably, not his coaching ability, which many Rhinos senior place rate very highly. Ask JP.



What qualified them to be "good judges"? More so than a CEO who has presided over a hugely successful team?



Everybody ages, circle of life. The players you outline are outstanding and have gallons in the tank. Diskin did little this year, urban myth



How could McShane and Hood have pushed on with Diskin in situ? They now will and clearly many also agree. Nobody is expecting a next generation of the names outlined above, but Watkins, Clarkson, BJB, Pitts, Amor, McShane, Hood etc may well shock a fair few.

'"

I've no idea what McDermott's budget was. However having less money doesn't always mean that performances will deteriorate. Sure, he may not have been able to recruit who he wanted but he's not exactly brought through the new LMS or Clubb either. Just what has he done??

Is Hetherington infallible in your eyes? He's certainly done a grand job at Leeds but I remain to be convinced on this coaching appointment.

The players I listed may have a few years left in them but as they go over 30 those gallons deplete pretty rapidly, speaking from experience. Not all players are as well looked after or as lucky with injury as Steve Menzies.

McShane will obviously get a chance, Hood may do. It remains to be seen if they're good enough, they may well be, they may not. A bunch of Leeds fans saying they'll make it on RLfans doesn't make it so.

Watkins, Clarkson, BJB, Pitts, Amor, McShane, Hood - Of those I'd say they all have a few rough edges to say the least. The first three have potential. Pitts and Amor especially are nothing special and won't amount to anything much. McShane is ok and Hood hasn't played a 1st team game so can't be judged.

Will Leeds finish higher than the Bulls over the next three years? I'd say they probably will for the first 2 at least and are an excellent bet for the third.

However I would stick my neck out and say that Leeds won't win the SL title in the next 3 years. They glory days are passing and the likes of Wigan are looking the side to beat now.

Sire???

tbh I dont doubt leeds will finish above us next year. But I think we could realistically be finishing around the same point in the table as them in 2012 through a combination of them slipping backwards and us improving. Sports cyclical no team stays at the top forever (as we've demonstrated perfectly over last few years). Think wigan and wire will be at top for next coupl of years with saints and leeds dropping back into pack a little and hopefully ourselves steadily rising back up toward the upper level over same period.