Pushed wide? It's where most halves defend.

If we concede nearly 40 points then it's got sod all to do with the halves and little to do with the captain. Defence is a group responsibility.


Think you need to

a tad.

yeah but how many medals has he got

over the last couple of seasons he's started to act like he's a bit of a hard man. Trouble is everybody knows he isn't.

Maybe McDermott and Sinfield will make friends and you'll get your real captain back.

What's funny about a player with more medals than the entire Huddersfield squad combined? I don't get it.

Calm down. McGuire's not a captain, Sutcliffe isn't a goal kicker etc etc. The fact is Sinfield won't be here next season, and the Sinfield of 2015 is a mere shadow of the player he was. So we have to start moving on and we're doing that, but you can't expect the team to simply just carry on regardless, there's always going to be ups and downs. it's like expecting Mo Farrah to start running marathons after having a heart transplant

As far as threads go, the original post is definitely as bad as it gets

In what way is picking your best team, anything close to someone having an heart transplant?

Yes we need to prepare for the future, yes we need to try the combinations for that. But you don't ignore your best 17 whilst people have paid good money to support that club.

Sutcliffe may well be a future star, but he is never going to be a player of captain material, or the ability to control the side. To get the best out of him, which is what we should be looking to do the club should have prepared properly, and should have ensured and will have to ensure going forward that he has the right quality around him to ensure his skills come to the fore.

The comment on McGuire at the top is unfair. Right now he is not only asked to be captain, which at no time in his career has he shown he had the right mentality for, but also been asked to lead the team around the park, again something at no time in his Leeds career he has shown he can do. That's an awful lot of responsibility for someone that was written off only last year.

The problem is not having the needed functions of the team correct to allow the way we are going to work. For now we should be aiding the likes of Sutcliffes development by ensuring he had the right quality around him, rather than making him sink. We should be aiding the McGuire/Sutcliffe partnership not putting obstacles in it's way.

good post much of the focus appears to be on the half backs. The biggest issues for me are the forwards who are simply not performing - Ward aside. Tough as a half back to shine when you are on the back foot all the time. Playing your most potent attacking player out of position makes no sense to me either.

The forward pack now is showing the wear and tear of the flogging it got over and just after Easter - Peacock and Cuthbertson were asked to play huge minutes against Warrington in particular while Mulhern sat on his backside, and that seems to have completely sapped their energy levels.

Throw in Ablett looking like he's aged ten years in six months and the coach's unwillingness to use the other front rowers at his disposal, and it's not hard to see why Leeds soft underbelly is rearing its head again.

But it's ok, we've got a busted Kiwi who can't string two games together coming over for 2016, so that'll help. Should be asking Nate Myles how much and writing him a cheque, before he resolves his issues with the Titans.

Completely agree with the above - Myles would be a great signing too

Sinfield has been the heart of this team for over a decade. He's now not in the team, and we're building a new team around a different nucleus of players, hence the heart transplant metaphor.

FWIW I'd pick Sinfield on the bench instead of Burrow, but it strikes me as incredibly lazy argument to suggest that all our problems are down to the absence of Sinfield, when in reality he was very poor prior to not being selected, and a lot of the problems that the team has have been there for a while.

Not being able to rotate our forwards because of injury and the absence of Briscoe and Hall are now severely affecting our go forward, and we're trying to play expansive rugby without going forward first. 2 new props are essential for next season, with Mulhearn and Baldwinson getting at least 10 games each.

Charlie you seem to be Sinfields biggest critic , i for one do not seem to think his form was poor before he was left out and results were a damn sight better then than now .

Far from it. I still feel he should be in the 17 and has a valuable contribution to make, I just don't think the team should revolve around him anymore.

I don't think Sinfield, before or now, was/is the reason for the times we played poorly. Last season, whilst he wasn't that good he wasn't as bad as some people make out at times. And this season, whilst a steadying Sinfield hand may have been useful yesterday and Sinfield may have got the drop goal v Hudds, he wouldn't have changed the 2 losses v Wire and could just as easily not even got the drop goal away vs Hudds.

I agree with Charlie Sheen that the main reasons for our not so good performances this year (aside from simply not playing well, which does happen) are having a relatively small squad that was hit with a few injuries in the forwards all at once so the likes of Peacock, Cuthbertson, Singleton, Ablett etc couldn't be rotated, and crucially the loss of Briscoe and Hall.

Briscoe and Hall take a lot of work off the forwards. Their kick returns, and the 2 or 3 ptb's after, mean our forwards don't have to get back and take a drive in immediately to try and get us away from our line. Early in the season it was rare to see Peacock or Cuthbertson back and taking the ball until at least play 4. Now they're having to get back and try and get us away from our line on plays 2 or 3. It doesn't sound a lot but it really tires props out doing that kind of work. Briscoe and Hall, supported by Hardaker & Watkins, would have often got us out of our own 20/30m area before the forwards had to step back in.

I also think Leuluai has been missed. He could've played a helpful supporting role for the props. He's obviously past his prime but his size and stability still help the team even if he can't do quite as long.

nate myles would be an awesome signing he has a great all round game,right age and experience would be a top marquee signing if it goes through

Yeah I think one or two may have forgotten about this and just how significant it is for us. All teams have their strengths and weaknesses. Arguably our biggest strength especially compared to the rest of the league is the work our starting back 3 give us in terms of making metres. No other team would be as affected by losing their two starting wingers as much as we are. It was pointed out when Hardaker has the possibility of the sack hanging over him how much that would harm our style of play because Golding wouldn't be able to match his metres from FB, so too lose not one but both wingers for a period was massive. Golding not being trusted with the wing spot then left us with a further problem with Watkins needing to shift there. Hall's return (hopefully this week) and Watkins moving back to centre will have a big upturn for us as we'll have 4 of the 5 pieces of our back line in place.

I don't doubt the metres Briscoe and Hall make at all, it is a fact, and one that makes us stronger going forward.

However, Leeds last three games of poor performances haven't been because Hall and Briscoe were not there to make metres. The problems, have been entirely defensively, and the way we have no composure when the going gets tough. They wouldn't have gone away with Briscoe and Hall. Our scoring for has not been bad in these recent games, it is the pish poor defensive efforts that have been.

Whether you want to face it or not, Sinfield clearly would have made a massive difference to the performances. As stated, not for making metres, but for ensuring the team are playing as one and with their heads screwed on. Because that sure is not happening at the moment, and Hall and Briscoe are not going to change that.

with sinfield in the side and captaining it Leeds hit top of the pile with 10 wins from 11.

since he announced his move to RU he was benched for his 500th game - we lost

dropped for Hudds and Widnes - 1 point from 4

not suggesting for one minute he is the player he was 5 years ago, but like most posters i think cold hard facts suggest his influence is being missed

He was missing for a few of those wins through injury and announced his departure during that time. He came back and started vs Wakey, Salford and on the bench for Saints.

I just wonder though how Sinfield's name missing on the teamsheet has shocked some of the team? It must have done surely. Before their was no shock for those few games or the periods he missed in 2014 and 2013 because everyone knew why he wasn't playing. Must be a bit of a strange atmosphere in dressing room and training pitch going on ATM.

Thing is, he started on the bench vs Saints and he played decent minutes and was the only sub to make a decent contribution. Next week he has to wait until after halftime to get on even though things were going wrong early doors and then not picked. Between the Saints and Wire games the draw for the CC game vs Hudds was made and he's been as good as sat down since, is he being saved for that?

Difficult for him to change the first loss at Warrington given he was the captain that day!! nice pass for Warrington's third try!!

It could be worse. He could have head butted a bloke...

I agree with this. I'd argue, as well, that since we know Hall and Briscoe are not on the pitch to make those metres, we should be rotating our forwards differently. We don't seem to be doing that.

But it has been our loss of control of the ruck in defence that has troubled me. We seem to end up with a man on the ground behind the ptb far too option and there are cheap, easy metres to be made. That creates chaos and penalties and/or line breaks are the inevitable consequence.

It's all fixable, and we weren't doing it earlier in the year, so I'm not panicking.

McGuire not fit to be captain for the incident late on is a kick bandwagon to jump on. On that incident McGuire got involved in handbags, but it was Watkins who left his post as well. but no Watkins dropped thread.

Oh and the whole set leading to the Chris Dean try was an embarrassing team effort.

Not fit to be captain is a severe judgement. Hands up those that have never had a bad day at the office, never made a howler of a mistake or made themselves look like a tool? To err is human and we should remember we all make mistakes. Danny has always struck me as a thoughtful professional. I am sure he will have reviewed his actions in the lead up to the try ie getting dragged into handbags, and filed it under cock-ups not to be repeated.