Danny Mags has been an unbelievable servant for Leeds and is due all the respect and adulation that we give Sinny, Kylie and JP.

But like Sinny, Kylie and JP he should now a great ex player. A year too far this year IMO and should hang his boots up come season's end. We have a ready made replacement in Lilley and we look a much better side with the youngster marshalling the halves and Mags in the stand.

I think you also have to look at the when and where we have been defending aswell as the how. In Rugby League attack really is the best form of defence, and it contributes greatly to your defence.

Perhaps there is a lack of mobility in the defence but that would be less of an issue if we werent defending so much. We have made a huge amount more tackles than in previous years because of losing silly ball, atrocious last tackle plays and an inability force repeat sets.

So not only are we defending more, but defending more in bad areas of the pitch.

Saying that, i think i dont think we are that poor defensively. We only conceded 99 points more this year than last, and considering 144 of those points came in a three game period, thats not too bad.

its clear that our problem has been getting over the line, we have scored 350 fewer points than last year. More than 15 points per game. For me thats down to 3 things,
individuals who havent played as well as they can (Watkins, Hardaker, at times Hall and Sutcliffe),

Injuries (Ward is probably our only mobile 2nd row and has been out all year, Mcguire and Burrow have been in and out all year, Briscoe took a long time out not to mention the general injuries we have suffered at times)

and the changes we have gone through not only last off-season but throughout the season too, we ended last year with a spine of Hardaker, McGuire, Sinfield, Burrow with Aiton Sutcliffe and Lilley

We started this year with Hardaker, McGuire, Sutcliffe, Burrow, with Lilley

and are finishing it Sutcliffe, McGuire, Lilley, Segeyaro, with Burrow and occasionally Hallas.

Agree with that on defence Smokey. But at no stage during most of the regular season did it seem as though the side were knuckling down and playing percentages given our attacking shortcomings. With a stuttering attack its vital that you use your defence as a form of attack - kick to the corners and try to force errors. Our defensive line often looked shot within 10 minutes of kick off and some of the individual efforts would make an amateur team wince with embarrassment.

I hope Danny has enough sense to make this his last season with Leeds . He could probably do next season in the championship for one of the top clubs . Maybe a couple of seasons with FETH might work out.

It'll all come out after this season is in the books.

His form screams of a player forced back far too early from injury that has progressively robbed him of his form and as a result hes been playing half crocked (possibly even more) due to his new responsibilities as Leeds's captain (which I would take off him)

I wouldn't want to write the old fox off completely as he has a knack of bouncing back from adversity and gawd knows we need the experience and guile he brings to the team.

I remember back in the late 1980's that the very same things were being said about John Holmes who is now 30 years later regarded (and rightly so) as a genius.
It's just a shame that there is no thriving reserve grade for such greats to be put out to pasture.