You've gotta think that their saints game stats shouldn't be good enough to win with next week, yet it still got them within a score.
Still can't really tell where we're at tbh, I'm not really concerned with how well anybody else is playing because we know we have a team that can compete and win.
What isn't apparent is how well we are competing, London wasn't useful, Saints hardly set the World on fire but was that down to us or them.
Catalans I thought was a gutsy grinder, throughout which we sought to undo gutsy grinding passages of play with ****ups.
They are a decent team, but plowing it down the middle didn't get them anywhere, and the fact that they tried to turn the screw in the 2nd half doing exactly the same thing doesn't really say any more about us than the 1st.
Stats....stats are all we have to go on and that is only half a story.

All are good points of opinion, however, I was also alluding to the point that all teams do their homework on the next team they play, in this case Leeds. I just hope Chester does ours & we carry it out to the letter. I also think the point about Kirmond is good, he also played centre so his reads should be good, he also has the strength to tackle Hurrell. I also do not over rate the guy but recognize the threat.
So up the Trin !

I doubt there will be a "party atmosphere" as the ground is still incomplete and the north side will be empty. What the fully open South Stand sounds like will be interesting but Trinity have a great chance based on the two teams' form so far.

Down the middle we (Leeds) can certainly be hurt. Pretty much common knowledge we're in the market for another forward and that really told at the weekend. Don't expect anyone to be brought in this week so that will still be a problem.

Brough always turns up against us and a game of percentages with his kicks turning us around and pushing us back could make it a difficult evening for us. Not to mention a pretty leaky right edge- Bill Toupu plays on that side doesnt he? Could have a field day if so!

From Friday I would expect us to be missing Ward and Walker. Interested to see what we go with at FB as Golding is apparently injured. If Furner wants to keep the halves together then maybe Watkins to full back, Newman in at centre. If not, Lolohea to full back and McLelland in at 6.

Is Lolohea fit enough to play FB? I'd catch the fat lil never mind Johnstone



In all seriousness it's going to be a tough one, your squad is a lot more in depth than I thought however I do question the quality. Having said that play anywhere like the level you played against Saints and you'll batter us.

No comment...

I think he's played FB for the majority of his career so should be comfortable there. He has his issues tackling in the line so in the unlikely event that he does manage to catch anyone on a break I'd question whether or not he would make a tackle anyway!

You mention depth, that was the big problem with the squad. Too much depth/too many squad fillers and not enough out and out quality. A lot of "can do a job" type players when they are surrounded with quality. It'll take a while to get that right but it feels like we're heading in the right direction which is no small achievement given the number of players we've turned around this off season. All the following have gone since the end of 2018- some pretty recently.

Garbutt
Mullally
Walters
Ormondroyd
Moon (You could argue he was already on the beach for a majority of 2018 but that's a different matter...)
Delaney

Have you forgotten about Hall already



Hall and Moon were your only 2 "match winners" last season, with most of the rest looking really ordinary.
Having said that, you're re building at the moment and should still finish top half of the table.

IF Pauli comes back for us (rumoured on another thread), I may have to go for Trinity but, I think it will be another close encounter.
£27 on the day is bloody daylight robbery for the Western Terrace though but, I guess we get the best view of the new stand, which must be the reason for the ASTRONOMICAL price.

What can I say, I'm fickle!



We never played to Hall's advantages last year- he essentially became a battering ram to get us out of our 20 because the pack was struggling. His tag of fastest prop in the league has been handed to Hurrell.



Wouldn't put the 2018 Moon down as a match winner for us either but yeah they were the only two of real quality- you could make an argument for Garbutt when fit as well. When you can shed 5 players from your squad and not really be all that bothered, it probably tells you a lot!

Intrigued to see how Ashurst gets on. Very impressed every time I see him.

For your bet, we're all building it up to be an open entertaining game, so stick a quid on no more than 20 points being scored!

RE pricing. I don't really get involved in all that. No doubt some of my fellow Rhinos will be on about facilities at Belle Vue compared to Headingley! You could always stand in one of the other stands or go watch Bradford for £30 or whatever it was last weekend.

On a serious note, 'fraid I can't see the Western Terrace changing/going anywhere any time soon. Just not enough room and the ginnell down the back would be difficult to deal with.

Keep penalties to a minimum,get up in their faces so they don’t get a roll on ,and get that sliding defence working out wide,easier said than done I know but these are all areas where we have let ourselfs down .
Get Leeds camp on your line and they are hard team to stop ,much better to defend against up field .
Hope Pauli gets a run out in this one and has me eating that humble pie as if played right he could be our trump card .
More than a match for Leeds in the half’s ,wings ,and forwards in my opinion ,but we’ll have to be on the ball for the full 80 to come away with a win ,which we are more than capable of doing as long as Chester gets them up for the fight.

I Reackon this will give us a good indication of where we are at........ the London game seems a world airway from our last 2 games.

Think this one will be won up the middle, Myler was on fire against Saints so we need another big performance from Dave and co to keep him on the back foot.

Hurrell is a threat clearly but hopefully Pauli is back in that right 2nd row to help Lyne and BJB out.

Important game this one, both teams growing in performance and confidence

Was he, funny how we all see it differently, looked anonymous to me.

IMO he was dreadful, when Leeds desperately needed composure and control with ball in hand he either ran around like a headless chicken or just went missing if you stuck most other SL halves in that Leeds team they would have won that game imo. He kicked the ball out on the full on more than one occasion and his kicking did not cause any problems for Saints, every opening Leeds got seem to come through Tui Lolohea.

Nah watch the highlights again, particularly in the 2nd quarter he was pulling all the strings that got Leeds back into it. Dropped off when Walmsley and Thompson started trampling all over his pack but if we dont do that, he could cause us many problems. Im not normally a fan of his either.

I have and as far as I can see you're watching a different player or even game. He dodn't pull any strings which is why Leeds didn't get back into it, Saints got back into it.

Myler is the least of our problems, not a patch on Brough in any aspect of the game.

I just remember thinking how Myler's end of set kicks were woeful. Went up in the air but were always too far away from the try-line to pose any real danger. I'd have thought to be effective, they have to be just a few yards away from the line so that it can either be batted back for someone to fall over the line, or else the defending catcher forced back over the line. All you had was either Saints collecting and starting their sets close to the twenty, or Leeds batting it back for someone else to face a full defensive line.

They didn't threaten the second half because his kicks never threatened. For a player who was thought of as some huge new talent when he was younger, two clubs have off-loaded him, Wire and Catalans, after thinking they were buying a star

Of course, he'll have a blinder on Friday ….

He was instrumental in Leeds taking them so close, but like I say, Saints got on top in the middle and he was hamstrung. Dont rate him normally but he was good in that game.

Maybe it takes an appreciation of nuance to spot these things?

Anyway, lets hope he proves you right and me wrong on Friday

Seriously, nuance, give me a break - here's on for you - Specsavers.

Don't forget Widnes and Salford too.

I saw his departures from those as part of his upward curve, him moving to better things. As soon as he got there, they sent him away.

Myler is no more than ordinary at best, about level with Tony Smith at Catalans.
Our biggest threat on Friday is ourselves.
If we turn up and play as we can we will win.
Anything short, then forget it.

No its not. We've got Kendall as ref.....

Myler is terrible! Leeds must be regretting that signing

will probably come back to me that comment hopefully not Friday though

He was the club's player of the year in 2018. Not a vintage Leeds year it's true but without him there's every chance the club would have been relegated.

FFS, the guy is gash. Catalans weren't good enough to take advantage but Leeds at home will be a different matter.