Having said that from what I've seen (live TV games only I'm afraid) Ali and Peacock seem to be trying to go down the middle constantly. Peacock would be better mixing his game a bit and Ali always seems more dangerous running just inside the left centre.

Yeah id agree with that as well, but mostly there just appears to be a lack of energy/effort/urgency whatever you want to call it. Neither Leuluai, Peacock or JJB are running the ball in as aggressively as they can and none of the forwards are running support lines to help out the ball carrier.
Now whether we are knackered, injured or just lazy at the moment I dont know but somethings not right in the forwards.

Yes if you beat a team fair and square - if you think beating Canterbury was a great result so be it for me I enjoyed the defeat against Saints in 2007 elimination game more than the victory in the final - because both sides played to their potential in a high quality game - the finest game of that season by a mile.

Winning is not the be all and end all - quality of performance is - and that is what is disappointing it is not the defeats but the manner of the defeats.

winning in finals is what counts david. i don't want to be the best team, play some great stuff and lose. nobody remembers the losers.

i agree though that in league games its the performances that count.as tony smith rightly said,get that right and usually the result will follow

Success is not judged on quality of performances. Success is judged by trophies.

I love to see top quality RL but I'd rather win trophies.

4 years ago Craig Bellamy was and assistant to Bennett and had been for a number of years - nobody over here had ever heard of him - now he is reputed to be the best coach in the world.

My point is this you have to find the next Craig Bellamy and he will contribute significantly to this side. Where have Cummins, Poching, McDermott demonstrated their coaching ability in order to justify their positions - nowhere do you think other clubs would be looking at these guys as potential first team coaches - do you ever hear Cummins mentioned when a job comes up!!! Another example of GH's loyalty Daryl Powell when he quit the Leeds job were any other top sides after him - no why because he hadn't worked anywhere else. If Cummins or Poching went off to Australia to learn their trade at the top level no problem but this nepotistic appointment policy isn't healthy.

How many real top Aussies coaches have we had here Brian Smith - who revolutionised Bradford, Murray who did much the same at Leeds - we are talking top quality not the Sharps, Lances Rapers and Morgans of this world. We don't get the Bennett's, Bellamys and Sheens of this world here we don't even get the top assistants - why do you think we are so far behind the Aussies?

I thought the coaching staff have been several times down under to study latest coaching techniques plus they have twice to the US.
Also what makes you think a Stephen Kearny would come half way across the world to be a no2?
It didn't partially work well for Wigan when they appointed Farrar as an assistant

So once again you defeat your own argument. Why replace three guys who have done their job in two succesive GF's with a substandard junior level Aussie coach we know nothing about? If only the likes of Sheens and Bennett can make a difference then why?

because of this

Right, not getting into any fog knitting here but I post this and you can do what you want with it.

Its' a little bit of inside info from the camp but I'll not divulge sources or credibility so judge for yourselves.

The players are fatigued. The fatigue is more mental than physical. A lot of them came back from the World Cup very down had to get up for the WCC very quickly and then lost that. Then they had to get back up for the Saints games which didn't go our way which has led to a bit of mental fatigue over Easter.

A couple of forwards have also been carrying a virus during the big Saints games.

Nobody in the camp is panicking. There's no simple solution and no quick fix but everyone is confident over the course of a long season they can get back to where they need to be. The rest weekends during the CC will do them the power of good.

I can live with that. But would then argue that everything is Bluey's fault then.

He had no need to put the same team out on Monday but chose to do so. A lot of people on here were calling for a rest of players, but it did not happen.

It should have done.

From what I heard Webb had tonsilitos which he passed on to Kylie.

Which forwards could he have brought in?

It looks to me the only alternatives that did not play were Allen, Gibson and Watkins

and that brings us right back to scruton and ellis not being replaced!!!!!!!!

Allen and Ambler I would have guessed. And Ablett playing second row giving Gibson centre.

If that aint good enough, then it entirely reinforces the argument that we are short in depth.

What I said was get the next Craig Bellamy - and assitant with a good reputation - sometimes I wonder if you can actually read - the fact that you have not heard of them doesn't mean they are unknown without a reputation.

Most people on here would suggest that Smith is the best coach Leeds have had in recent years - he has never been a first grade coach in Australia prior to going to Huddersfield he was an assistant at the Eels - most on here would suggest he did a reasonable job and he was by no means the the most highly rated assistant coach in Australia. So would you rather have another Smith or Franny or Poching - does that spell it out in simple enough terms for you to comprehend?

I can quite well believe that, but it does pose the question of are we a bit light in the squad department if we can't rest players?

when bluey's contracts up lets just get brown in if he keeps doing a good job, thats if saints or pie's dont get to him first

So THAT'S where I got it from then?

Wait 'til I see the big southern hemisphere donkeys again!!!

he called you a northern hemisphere worm!

dunno if that had any relation to your penis size or not though!

No need to panick yet IMO.
Although the squad does look a bit thinner than last year the loss of Eastwood could not have been forseen and unless a top quality replacement becomes available, which is fairly unlikely, then we should stick with what we have got.
A couple of interviews with backroom staff in recent matchday programmes have in some way explained why certain players look way down on last years form. Both written while we were top of the league aswell, so not as an excuse for the recent slump. They explained that due to players coming back from the World cup only having 4 weeks pre season training that they have designed a training programme whereby they are still doing the stamina work that should have been done pre season. Other conditioning work has to go on as the season progresses.
I appreciate we were not the only club with players at the world cup and other backroom staff are probably doing something similar, but if we hit form at the end of the season when it matters this blip will all be forgotten.

No but we probably had more than any other.

Apart from St Helens, who are setting the pace. But we all know they struggle to keep their run going until October