If leeds play with that kind of heart and vigour in the playoffs, plus Mcguire and burrow (and hopefully 17 players!) they won't go far wrong.

only used 2 of the subs and team were out on their feet last 20 mins. he clearly has no faith in the ability of singleton and ward =(

Are you feeling OK?

feeling agreived, but otherwise well. why? do you have a better reasson for why he didnt use half of our substitutes? i understand him not using ward, high pressure game lots on the line and aiton was on fire. however to not use a prop is stupid.

Dunno, would need to ask him personally. Bit of an enigma really. 'Masterminds' a cup win one week, inexplicable decision the next.

post game press conference BM said he didnt feel the need to use his 2 other subs

We might end up having to go from 5th or 6th but I fancy our chances better than the team who will probably be LLS winners now.

Thought Saints were pretty poor and wouldn't have been close had it stayed 13 v 13. Surprised and slightly cringeworthy how LMS and Brown were talking like it was a great performance by them. The least impressive team to have visited Headingley this year from the current top 8.

Agree Saints were very poor, and looked tired even after a two week break. Obviously they had Walsh and Lomax out but that's balanced by Burrow and McGuire, and the difference is that our playmakers will be back for the playoffs.

And we'll have 13 men on the pitch.

They certainly came through alot of adversity to win that game, as LMS rightly pointed out.

Neither Ward nor Singleton are as reliable on defence as the first choices who were rotated. Had Mac known beforehand that Moon would be sent off he would have gone with Kirke on the bench who is more reliable on defence. As it was he rotated his first choices.

The red card had the biggest effect on the result as it left us one man down. To win the game meant keeping the errors down which we failed to do in the 2nd half. Mistakes from Watkins, JJB and Sutcliffe (the latter two otherwise had good games) and Hardakers slowness to clear his line so giving them another set gave them the extra possesion they needed which led to a change in momentum and the chances for Saints to score. Sinfield missed a drop goal chance too. Different use of the subs would not have changed any of this.

We started with a big handicap being without Burrow and McGuire and to lose Moon so early in the game brought out an outstanding display from the other players apart from errors mentioned above.

Wigan lost tonight so to finish 2nd we now need to win our last two and hope that Saints also win their remaining 2 and Cas lose one of their 3. What is likely though is that once Saints confirm the top spot they then rest the 1st team and let Huddersfield in.

However our full strength team are still capable of getting to OT from any finishing spot.

The players that took the field put in a magnificent effort, but it is either dumb to not use two subs or it us dumb to choose two players that you don't trust enough to put into battle. I'll let you choose which...

It could also be dumb to assume subs always have to be used or if used would have made the difference.

He's saving singleton and ward for the playoffs.

It does however shed clear light onto why Singleton struggles to get selected at times.

Down a guy then you're going to want your best defensive guys out there. For all the talk about amount of carries forwards do the main issue for players non selection is defensive reasons. Think of Stevie Ward and Achurch too, players who at times have had iffy defensive showings and aren't as good in that department as others.

Yep you are quite right, the RFL let you have 4 subs specifically so you can leave 2 on the bench. Seriously I expected a much better response than that from you. Why the hell would you leave 2 unused players (both forwards) on the bench when you are a man down. It's pure crazy no matter which way you look at it.

This takes the biscuit....I as much as anybody was pleased that McDermott got it right at Wembley, but this bizarre incomprehensible decision tonight is the reason why McDermott attracts such criticism. It defies logic or any sense. The team was down to 12 men for god's sake and the coach still considered it not worth using his subs !!???

You really must have a picture of McDermott on your bedroom wall. You obviously idolise the man.

I concur.

BUT I bet Singleton and Robbie Ward still felt valued members of the squad (probably imminently at another club mind)

That was Leeds' 627th game of the SL Era where four substitutes are permitted on the bench - total excludes the 1996 Challenge Cup which were the final games with only two. After a quick scan through the spreadsheet last night's game appears to be the only time any Leeds coach has seen fit to leave 50% of them unused in any single game.

Peacock, great player though he undoubtedly is, was at fault from marker for the St Helens opening try on 62 minutes. Despite being a man down when the points eventually came, they came through the middle. Would fresh bodies have made a difference ..... who knows.

down to 12 for a long time, players running on empty. whichever way you look at it, its bloody odd to only use 2 replacements

If a Coach doesn't "trust" his subs why select them?
Or are you implying the Coach thought we would be that far in front it wouldn't matter how they would have to defend?
Sorry JC that's ridiculous as for comparisons with Singleton and Kirke did you miss the Wire away game or has Kirke never missed a tackle?

When BMD was asked the same question in an interview after the game, he appeared stunned, and asked the reporter what did he actually mean! His eventual answer was less than convincing...."Delaney is a machine....JJB is a machine.....Ablett is a machine....no need to replace them!"

Perhaps Garry will invite him over for Sunday lunch, and gently explain why the Rules allow 4 subs in the first place, and the benefits of using them, when on field situations require a small deviation from the pre planned strategies.

That said, the team were excellent up to the 60 minute mark, and I saw nothing in the Saints performance that will cause us any problems in the Play Offs.

Your view is based on an assumption there is some rule that you have to use all your subs or that like sheep you follow what others do. If you can acknowledge for one minute that subs can be used just to give your first choices a very short breather then perhaps you can also consider that subs can also be used just as cover if you have first choices that are capable of long minutes and can be rotated to give those same short breaks.

IMO had Moon not been sent off Mac would have used all his subs. However the situation changed and gaining a lead yet having a man short meant he needed his best and most reliable defenders on the field for the most time. Aiton had a fine game and made 46 tackles so to replace him with young Robbie was a big risk. Similarly with a lead to defend against a big pack Singleton is a bit lightweight and still has a bit to learn on defense. So IMO it was quite reasonable to use his interchanges to rotate his first choices. As he said after the match JJB, Ablett, Delaney & Bailey don't need much rest and of course neither does JP.

If you were to have used all the subs, at what point would you have used them? Had it been earlier it could well have cost our lead earlier as our first choices were doing a remarkable job. Had you used them late in the game the same applies.

IMO apart from the obvious of having a man down, the game actually swung on several errors that lost us possession, added to some dodgy decisions by the officials and compounded by a much better 2nd half performance from the Saints. Even with all this had Sinfield taken a drop goal opportunity we could have come out with a point.

Incomprehensible to you perhaps. And you may also have a picture of him on your wall that you stick pins in!

Well the real answer isn't one that should be said out loud to a press conference, which would basically be....

"Don't trust Singleton and R.Ward defensively enough in a 12 man defence"

Are you saying Singleton would have made the tackle on McCarthy-Scarsbrook that JP missed for their second try? As Sky's pundits pointed out in the PTB before their 2nd try Hardaker called Achurch to the other side leaving JP's side exposed. Roby spotted this and switched play back to where the gap had appeared. Hardaker made the same error in a recent game which pulled Bailey away leaving a gap for a try under the sticks.

The game changers were not caused by fatigue IMO but by lost possession from players who would not have been substituted - Briscoe, Watkins, Sutcliffe, Hardaker and JJB (who had a rest) add in some bad decisions from the officials and better tactics from Saints. But the real reason was it was 12 against 13 for much of the match.