What does everyone think?
At the moment Williams looks to be the better prospect at SO

Difficult to judge really, Suttcliffe has done more against better opposition.

Stevo's comparison's with David Bolton are ridiculous, he did the same with Luke Robinson years ago, calling Robinson the new Alex Murphy.

Williams was very good tonight....but against absolutely woeful opposition. Time is yet to tell who will be the better player in bigger occasions. When either or both are performing great in playoff and big cup games then we might have a proper answer.

Sutcliffe is showing some really nice touches and his combination with McGuire is - for the most part - going well. Leeds fans have a choice you either let him develop in the role and all that entails or you play Sinfield and accept Sutcliffe's development will be slowed. If you play Sinfield he isn't going to settle for just a role in the forwards and that is the dilemma.

Williams has looked a class player from the start even when he was playing hooker. Both are very exciting prospects with different qualities, maybe we are at last going to produce some half backs with real quality?

i watched the frist 25 mins last night. im pretty certain HKR would of made me look like a world beater. nothing against Williams, when i sa him early doors this season he looked good, but lets not judge him on last night. Sutty played a blinder against Saints, thats a real test. and Williams didnt play as well against Saints....
lets give them both 1 full season though before we start the Jizz-Fest

I would like to know where Sutcliffe has shown he can do it against better opposition, as opposed to Williams?

Sutcliffe looked fantastic when we were on top at Saints, and he looked the same when on top at Huddersfield. When we were under the cosh, he was anonymous, as he was against Warrington.

That is in no way to say that won't change, or soon, just how has he shown to be the better against the better oppossition? I have seen Willuams also play well against top sides, and poor aswell.

Because it is stand off, I would compare Sutcliffe more with the likes of McGuire, Harris, Tomkins. Those players were allowed to develop as Sal is requesting because mistakes or not, they were always marked for stardom and the top. The difference is Sutcliffe has never shown their types of talent at similar ages in development. Again, that does not mean he isn't just a late developer, and as this season has shown, having the faith in him brings out the best. The question is, is it a risk to say he is the future and go with it warts and all when in reality he is only now showing that he could be that future? There have been plenty of players who have showed similar qualities and dissapeared, the only difference been there wasn't a space to fill then.

Maybe the answer is to ensure you have the right players around him to ensure he is that success now expected of him, rather than expecting him to be the lone king.

I agree with the last paragraph - that is the key here the right players to enable him the opportunity to develop and impose himself. Having the wrong players with inhibit that develop. In less than a year there will not be that option so I would suggest Leeds get on with it and accept the consequences of doing so. He is surrounded with enough quality players without the need to include others who will suppress his development.

Both good players with bags of potential. Both got slightly different skill sets IMO - Sutcliffe is more physical, probably a better kicker of the ball, Williams the quicker and more elusive.

Can't say Williams did an awful lot in the game at Headingley other than the kick for Burgess's try. So there have been big games this season where he's been pretty quiet.

Interesting topic really.

Honestly, I think that Sutcliffe has been better this season so far, but that might just be because Leeds have been better than Wigan (especially at the start of the year), as I don't think either player has carried their side, but played well within good teams. Magic weekend should be an interesting game to see them go head to head.

Sutcliffe.

I thought Williams was magnificent last night, an exceptional prospect but IMO (and without Rhinos tinted glasses) I think as it is right now, Sutcliffe just edges Williams as a more complete player. I don't want to take anything away from Williams but HKR were extremely poor which made him shine a little brighter than perhaps he would have done against better opponents but still a superb effort.

I was talking to the missus last night and we concluded that it is no coincidence that the best teams that the SL has seen are also the same teams that consistently produce young, exciting players like Williams and Sutcliffe (and also the same reason that Salford are in the position they are in right now).

Two excellent prospects but both need to perform at a high level on a more consistent basis.
Wouldn't it be great for the game if they both went on to become internationals of the highest class to at last give those bloody Aussies something to think about.
Oh by the way it has to be Williams but that's obviously a view based on that at the moment I have seen a lot more of Williams than Sutcliffe.

From a Wigan perspective, I think Williams was largely anonymous in the early season and put all responsibility on Smith(possibly contributing to his early poor performances) but as the pitches have hardened and he's settled more into the 6 role he's looking a class act. Everytime I've seen Sutcliffe which is obviously just the sky games, he's really impressed me, bar the Warrington game where I think the whole Leeds team just didn't show up, not just Sutcliffe. Not sure how many SL games both have played, but excellent prospects for both sides.

The interesting thing is that Wigan still have Hampshire who is probably a better natural #6 than either Wiliams or Sutcliffe. He outplayed Sutcliffe at u19 academy level. At the moment both Williams and Sutcliffe are better developed physically but that should change over the next two or three years. I've always thought that Sutcliffe would make an excellent #13.

It'll be interesting to see what Wane does next year when Tomkins returns, to have his and Hampshires pace in the side will cause a lot of problems for the opposition.

I too see Sutcliffe moving up to 13.
If I was Wane I'd play Williams & Hampshire at 6&7 next season & get rid of Smith. He reminds me of Deacon without the kicking ability. He always gives the impression of getting through a ton of work but produces very little of quality.

I think Williams #7 and Hampshire #6 is a bit risky so soon. We tried it a few years back with Brown and Robinson, and Saints did the same with Gaskell and Lomax. All were very good players but weren't quite ready for that step up together. If you remember Leeds with Burrow and McGuire, they brought in Andrew Dunemann for around three years to allow the young halfbacks time to bed in, so they were around 22/23 years of age before they became the chosen pair. Williams and Hampshire are still only 20.

I couldn't see Wigan dropping Smith just like that anyway. Looks like it'll be a case of biding his time for Hampshire next season with the return of S.Tomkins to FB.

How are you for wingers with Burgess leaving? I know Charnley and Manfredi will be the starters but what's after that (considering Charnley does seem to pick up a few injuries nowadays)? Would he throw Hampshire on the wing whenever of those were missing?

I would cash in on Smith, as Cas did with Sneyd, while there are still some deluded fools who think he is an international HB. You could bring in Douglas Bader for a year to do what Smith does if you want to wait.

Bader's a good prospect Tigertot but he just doesn't have the legs.

I don't get the idea of Sutcliffe to 13 at all. He's a big stand off - like several great players have been before him. The ball-handling 13 is a dying breed, and not soon enough for me.

Wait until Cameron Smith finally gets his chance, you might change your mind. There you will get a ball handler along with a big unit. There is never a dying breed to a ball handler, every player in the team in every position should have those skills. Only the Aussies have moved people's perceptions away from that, with their boring one out plays.

It's all about finding a balance in your side.

Leeds managed to be successful for a number of years with Sinfleld, Burrow and McGuire because the latter two were more effective as runners than ball players. Sinfield was the pivot the team revolved around and took some of the responsibility off them.

With a 6 or 7 that is more of a running threat than a ball player in the side - someone like Hampshire or a Ryan Brierley for example - having a ball player at 13 gives them the licence to play with the shackles off rather than having to organise the team around them.

The challenge for me is where Leeds fit Sutcliffe and Cameron Smith into the same side. If Smith continues to develop physically, he's going to be a monster. He'll have the physique of a front rower but with the ball skills of a half-back. The ideal loose forward in many ways, who can challenge the line both with his carries and with what he can do with the ball.

Do you want him being saddled with the additional burden of having to organise the team around him though? Or do you ask Sutcliffe to play stand-off and be the dominant voice in the team?

Alternatively, is that where Jordan Lilley fits in to that midfield triangle. Someone to act as the organiser, the pivot, the Sinfield role if you like which allows Sutcliffe and Smith to be more of a running threat as McGuire and Burrow were.

I think i could possibly see a switch to 13 in the future for Sutcliffe but his role in this Leeds team for the foreseeable future should be at 6 and he is coming along very nicely so far.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Cam Smith as wide running BR ,Sutty at 13 Brierley at 6 and Lilley at 7 eventually but IF rumours are true we have another HB inbound so something will have to give.
I honestly think IF CS continues his growth and potential you can virtually play him anywhere in the Pack and he'll be very good at it.

Who have you heard about coming in as a HB Rhinoms?