Watkins is a freakish talent. A rare talent in Super League terms. A small dip in form (that is being wildly exaggerated) doesn't alter that.

Some of Watkins issues stemmed from a lack of understanding between him and Briscoe, which will come.

If you want someone comfortable with the ball in hand and mobile to play loose-forward, then it's Carl Ablett by a distance IMO.

Criminally under-used by Leeds in that respect, a much better player than "just" a wide-running second-rower.

Agree with that very under estimated Ablett

Considering he is our only worthwhile backrower though it kind of leaves us in short supply. I agree his good with ball in hand, but not with the way this coach uses him.

Peronally I woud prefer Sutcliffe to play loose forward and keep the rest as it is but with Mcdermott preferring a prop it would not surprise me if he uses cuthbertson there. Also I have no idea where this leaves Stevie Ward.

In the past season played a lot for the Newcastle after I had heard we signed him. (Apart from when injured).

Also not sure about moving our best second rower last season around. Keep Ablett where he is.

With regards to Watins I think its great we have him until 2019. For all the criticism he gets on here I still beleive he is quality and glad he is staying.

Chuffed he has signed the deal.

Some proper moaning f-cks on here. Its unbelievable.

Happy he has signed and so are everyone else if they are honest

At the risk of sounding positive (because God knows some ppl on here hate the slightest hint of being positive) how good is it that unlike most posters favourite club on here (Wigan) that we are able to keep hold of players. To keep Hall and Watkins (and Hardaker if rumours are true) to new long contracts is something to be encouraged about.

Granted of course it would obviously be great if a couple of signings here and there were made recently but it's good to know and bodes well for the future that the club has the ability to keep the stars they make.......I don't want to be in the position that we get 2/3 promising years out of a player only to see them go elsewhere in their prime. It happened before to us with the likes of Calderwood, Walker, Smith and Burgess but something we've gotten on top of* (and no Baldwinson, Tonks, other 16-18 years olds doesn't count as throwing ridiculous money at promising yet unproven youngsters isn't the same)......it also questions the theory regarding young players leaving the club because of the club's failings. If still good aged and top players like Hall and Watkins enjoy the set-up and surroundings of the club then what does it say of those academy players who leave under apparent claims of seeing a greener grass at other clubs?

* after reading an article about McDermott the other year where he talks about how he and the club like to know all aspects of their players including family life, hopes, dreams, future, etc. whether if an academy player shoots himself in the foot if he's a single lad who dreams of NRL? Do they think they'll concentrate on the guys who see their long term future in & at Leeds and who they can see staying for 5-10 years instead of being lured away after a good year of two (see rumours of Joe Burgess to Sydney)

From an interview he did on the eve of the 2013 WCC has stuck in my mind since about his player selection.....


"In rugby league we're very technical and you spend so much time behind a laptop trying to work it all out. But that's not much use unless I know who my players truly are. I want to know where they're from, how they were brought up, whether they're married and have kids. I want to know how they treat their wife and kids. I want to know their views on religion and politics and adversity."

Whether right or wrong I think who the guys are as men more than RL players has come under consideration during the McDermott era, why we see the likes of workhorses kept out there and relied upon.

Printer-RE-Players background etc that all stems from GH and has been part of his ethos" for years!

Yup. Alot of people wanting Whitehead in over Westerman for England currently.

Ablett is strides in front of both.

As a cas coach told me " I coached westerman from u7s to u 17s and he had it all. Then he met that c**t rangi and messed it all up"

Unlucky to miss out but good for us

Is he injured? I really cant come up with a logical argument for him not being in the squad.

Now short one Ryan Bailey www.therhinos.co.uk/news/24131.php#.VFNoG2NjGE4

Now short one Ryan Bailey www.therhinos.co.uk/news/24131.php#.VFNoG2NjGE4

"This creates an exciting opportunity for one of our exciting batch of exciting young players to step up into the best full-time squad ever. Promoting home-grown talent, giving opportunities to youngsters yadda yadda yadda.." - Gary Hetherington

All the Golden Generation have mentioned how the CC was the 'final piece in the jigsaw'.

What do you do when you have finished your jigsaw?

Don't know but I can't see living in hull as the answer!!!!!

Bailey was out whether we won a challenge cup or not. The club made it clear to him back at Easter that they were letting him go.

Waste of a shirt last couple of years.

By "letting him go", do you mean prepared to pay up the last year of his contract and take the salary cap hit if they couldn't move him on to another club?

So will he have got a decent signing on fee from HullKR ?

I seriously doubt he was heading out no matter what. He was dropped earlier in the year and when the rumour was he was ill McDermott set the record straight and said he wasn't. Late on in the year though he was in the team for the CC games and the final and started ahead of Leuluai for the Saints and Wigan games......hardly treatment of someone you were planning to get rid of. Possibly it might've been the final straw in terms of they told him he wouldn't get another contract after his 2015 one ran out and when HKR came asking they thought yeah they can have him.

If they were going to cut his contract short why wait until the end of the season? McDermott showed by 2011 when Cross and Burgess left that he'll go short of numbers if that's what he wants. They also didn't mind pushing Webb out of the scene at the back end of 2012 when they'd had enough of him.

Maybe just maybe what Gal has stated has happened.

Hull KR 2 props down and need something. They asked about Bails, done a 2 year deal and the rests history.

Will it see Netherton and Bails back in the same team? Old school.

No I mean letting him go. He could have been sacked anyway at the time,

Wonder if that has relieved some salary cap space to bring in Scott Dureau?

Ian Kirke out next please!