www.therhinos.co.uk/news/15114.php

www.therhinos.co.uk/news/15114.php

So there's no question of "reneging" on any contract then, more a FACT of mutual agreement to terminate ?

Oh.

was there ever going to be anything else? only one person decided to try to say otherwise

Precisely

2 down... just 6 to go? www.therhinos.co.uk/news/14347.php

2 down... just 6 to go? www.therhinos.co.uk/news/14347.php

The announcement via the YEP was snappily titled 'Magnificent Seven' although Leuluai was already under contract for 2011 anyway so it was never more than 6 but yes it appears 2 have now departed.

[size=150Magnificent seven re-sign[/size
=#80000030th June 2010

[size=85Champions Leeds Rhinos have re-signed ALL their experienced out-of-contract players in one go. The seven senior men whose deals were due to end this autumn have committed themselves to the club for 2011. Winger Scott Donald, centre Keith Senior, hookers Danny Buderus and Matt Diskin, props Ryan Bailey and Kylie Leuluai and back-rower Ali Lauitiiti have ended speculation about their futures by agreeing to stay put. Rhinos chief executive Gary Hetherington said: “This is the best squad we have ever had and we want to keep it together.” Today’s news gives the Rhinos a major lift ahead of Saturday’s crucial engage Super League showdown with visitors St Helens. It is the first time an engage Super League club has announced so many deals for current players at one time and comes just over a month after coach Brian McClennan confirmed he has signed a new deal for next year. Rhinos have yet to make an announcement about young prop Luke Ambler, who has broken into the senior side this year, but it is understood he is close to agreeing a long-term contract. McClennan described today’s news as a “timely boost”. He said: “It shows the players enjoy being here at the Rhinos. They love the club and want to continue to strive for success. It is wonderful for them all to commit and it’s nice to know that they feel they can perform to their best within the environment of players and staff here. They feel this is their chance of getting success.” There had been speculation that the Rhinos would release one of their senior hookers, with Buderus being strongly linked with clubs in Australia.
And former New Zealand Test star Lauitiiti said earlier in the year that he was considering a return home. Donald is understood to have a non-rugby related job awaiting him in Australia, but decided to play on after missing three months of this season due to a serious shoulder injury. Leuluai and Bailey have been among the form players in the Rhinos’ pack this year, while veteran Senior said last weekend that he was keen to continue for another term. McClennan hailed his current squad as a “special group” and he added: “You don’t think about the financial part – you think about what you want to achieve and what you can do to get better. At the end of the day it is the success and enjoyment you get out of it that’s the most important thing.” Hetherington conceded that announcing all seven re-signings in one go is an “unusual step”, but he revealed: “We are keen to stop any speculation regarding the squad for the remainder of the season.” He added: “Our policy is always to review the squad at the end of each season, which is what we have done for a number of years, regardless of the success or failure of the previous campaign. We will continue with this policy, but safe in the knowledge that our own world- class talent is contracted to us for next season. In the current global market place and with more and more clubs spending to the full salary cap limit, the challenge of attracting and signing world class players is becoming tougher and tougher. Therefore, it makes sense to secure the very best players before looking elsewhere.”[/size

If we include the one-year contract extensioned McClennan, it's back to seven.

Donald - reneged on one-year contract extension.
Diskin - reneged on one-year contract extension.

<SPIN: Donald and Diskin compassionately released>

Having brought in Brett Delaney and Greg Eastwood at the start of the current season Leeds are clearly looking forward to having a consistent group of players for the next 18 months, safe in the knowledge that all that world class talent is contracted to Leeds next season.

Oh yes indeedy.

One more in there for all the many Hetherington worshippers that frequent this board:

[i“This is the best squad we have ever had and we want to keep it together.”[/i

If only he'd waited until July.

He's not the only one is he? There were many others happy to declare this the best Rhinos squad we'd ever had, back in January and February, weren't there TVOC?

BTW who was it who declared the 2010 squad our best ever and that it was possible we would go on to win all our games?!

Possibly the team could have done very well on paper had all the players stayed fit. Unfortunately our luck with injuries had run out and we got shafted with them. Sh1t happens though.

"Club Chairman makes positive statement regarding contract situation at the club shock horror".

I guess what we really want is the club boss to come out and say it like it is...

"We have re-signed some of the old farts at the club, some of whom are about ready for the knakers yard and unlikely to even be at the club next year if we don't win something or they can't string any form or fitness together. But frankly I am really, really tight and I'm not spending my, erm, sorry, the Club's money on new talent so you'll have to be happy with this bunch. Also, big Keith still has the photos so he can play as long as he wants. We're also really hacked off that the big baby we signed to replace Ellis is going to run home because his bird has told him to, and that the centre we signed for 3 years actually doesn't want to go home at all and we're lumbered with the big, useless c**k. I know I've let all those hardcore super-educated RL experts on SS.com down, but frankly I don't give a flying f***"."

yep, that's about what I want to hear from the CEO, after all it would beat telling stories about selling double glazing.

On paper and before a ball was kicked I was happy to state that the squad assembled for the 2010 season was the best seen at Leeds since 2004, IMO of course.

I cannot (and don't seek to) speak for others, some of whom refused to be drawn on the matter until after the Grand Final.



That would have been Serge A Storms (at least the second part) IIRC. The view wasn't allowed to gain much traction either by such as myself or Gilder or by the team's second competitive outing.

Frankly I couldn't give a fook either way.

So, given you concurred with Hetherington does that make you one of his "worshipers"?

Being one of the aforementioned posters who waited until the deeds played out on the pitch unfolded before bestwoing such grandoise praise I have decided that the 2010 squad wasn't the best ever Leeds squad. In fact, they weren't even better than the much maligned (by some) 2009 vintage who earned such plaudits on the pitch, rather than on paper.

Some were too free with their praise too early. Many of those kind will turn to criticism at the drop of a hat. As me old mucker Billy Shakespeare said "Rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind." Or, to ise an Oscar Wilde quote a little "By giving us the opinions of the uneducated, Southstander keeps us in touch with the ignorance of the community".

Oh dear !

Where did I concur? It appears unclear whether his use of the word 'we' refers to his and Caddick's tenure (1997 to date) or 'we' as in the Leeds club which obviously dates back to circa 1870 ish. Either way as I stated this was, in my opinion, the best Leeds squad assembled (on paper) since the 2004 season, I don't think I went as far as Hetherington's pronouncement on the matter.



As neither of us bestowed the 'best ever' tag on the 2010 squad assembled your attempts at a belated one-up-man-ship appears to have left the dock without you.



Yes this board would be far better if everyone could just wait until the end of the season before forming an opinion on the relative strength of the squad with the benefit of hindsight.

Hetherington assembled a squad that on paper was superior to that he had made available in 2009, IMO. The end results of the two respective seasons doesn't alter my opinion although it may others who could now believe they must have been wrong all along. The Leeds squad man for man can be assessed in isolation however the Leeds team and results are to a large extent effected by forces beyond their control. Other team strengthening, improvement, coaching techniques, injuries, bounce of the ball, refereeing decisions all have a large say in the actual results.

And that, Ladies and Gentlemen, is what happens when you try and live your life by statistics.

What's up, was the last paragraph over your head?

More [iover[/i the top and[i beneath[/i contempt.

I aim to please.

Got to admit G i'm with TVOC in this i too thought we'd assembled the best squad on paper pre-season not least because of the depth available.
Now of course history will show how the season panned out results and trophies wise but that does'nt tell the whole story does it?
Hopefully we can bounce back next year and win silverware and if can avoid the injuries and alarming loss of form witnessed at times this year we'll be in a position to challenge for the honours on offer imo.