It will take more than this off season for me.i think Furner will need a good few months to assess who he wants, who he doesn't and identify players to fill those holes.still a fair few old guys hanging on past their sell by date who will still be here next season but not much longer surely.

I would take mid table right now, I just hope to see some better rugby and a clear sign of us moving in a new direction anything else is a huge bonus.

I agree with your summation

I have always been a big fan of Sinfield as a player and captain and IMO his big strength was that he led from the front on the field. But the abilities of a coach and manager are quite different and his previous lack of desire to take on this role I think perhaps showed self doubt or passion for the job.

So it is no surprise that he has struggled in the role of coach and manager and has been uncomfortable in front of the camera. Certainly the job is a big one but he has not shown any ability to be able to motivate the players with words and perhaps he lacks the necessary passion and emotion.

I agree with you that we have gone further backwards since his arrival and I have found his choices of temporary captains strange. Ablett and then Ferres! He seems to rate Thompson and Ferres above Cam Smith which is a worry and I am disappointed that he has not tried either Walker or Golding in the halves in preference to the totally inadequate Sutcliffe.

Furner must be left to have complete responsibility for the first team squad and should have the last say in recruitment. This leaves the Director of Rugby in something of a junior position which is why I am uncomfortable with the status of this role. Each can legitimately blame the other if things are not working out.

The whole episode of the mid season change in coach was mishandled IMO and gives a strong impression that Hetherington has lost the plot.

Sinfield said that recruitment "buttons would be pressed" once out SL status was secured and gave the impression we have some class signings lined up. If this is indeed the case these should be announced without further delay. My guess is that NRL players will not be too keen to join a club that has lost its winning ways unless the money on offer is high, which is not the way of GH.

Sinfields choice of Captains ,signings & some selections have been baffling but it at least highlights he isn't ready nor the right man to be our Head Coach.

Nor wants to be

This is interesting as I agree his previous interviews have been quite bullish about the need for new players and as you say buttons waiting to be pressed but having to wait to confirm SL status.

That all sounded to me that players had been identified and signed up subject to us being in SL next season.....but contrast that to his post match comments last night where IMO things didn’t sound as certain? Whilst he was still saying changes are needed, he went on to say how it was easier said than done and that it was hard as they need to make sure that they are better than the players they already have and/or will replace kind of thing, which sounded an odd thing to hear for me as the implication from previous videos was that we had already had players signed up ready to announce so surely they were better than we already had and/or wer replacing etc.....???....so what (if anything) has changed?

Have some of the identified and apparently “as good as signed” players had a change of heart and/or has Sir Kev been told that the funds he thought he was going to get is no longer the same?

I’m probably reading more into his comments and body language but to me he seemed more peeved off last night than he would be after a loss and wonder whether he’s had his recruitment plans pulled from under him by GH?

I’m probably adding 2 and 2 together to make 5 but it would kind of explain the reason behind the rumours of all of JJB, Ablett, Delaney, Walters and Mullalley being retained???

This next week should be telling as if Sir Kev was right with what he’s said these last few weeks, you’d think there would be be a couple of BIG announcements on new recruits given we were just waiting “to press the button” on a few deals once we were safe.

That was a Bad Gag about Baghdad

Short Memory Chris - If James Child hadn`t been tricked by Myler you could have been in the MPG.


Hasn`t reffed since in SL which tells the tale.

Your last sentence is SO true. Only Cas & Saints play the way I was brought up. When I think of Ray Batten`s genius and John Holmes creative ability I cringe when looking at the current set up.

Exactly the way I interpreted his comments. Hope we're wrong.

If Ah Van could catch a ball, the same would also be true. We needed a couple of slices of luck to avoid the MPG.

Interesting that sinny is taking flack for perceived issues with the coaching. People are aware that sinny has not been brought in to coach aren't they? Or that sinny has never shown any interest in coaching. If you want to complain about the coaching then complain about Lowe's, chev and Robbie - none of which are good enough to coach a SL side.

I agree but by the same token you could also say we had a couple of slices of bad luck earlier in the season that put us in the middle 8’s to begin with.


Yep. Though I’d say McDermott should have seen the season out. The issues clearly weren’t as some have said in that half the players couldn’t get on with/didn’t want to play for/hated McDermott. If that were the case we’d have seen a significant improvement in performances since his departure and we haven’t. I don’t think we’ve actually got any worse, we just havent improved.

Now injuries aren’t the only factor but they also can’t be ignored. Had we had a better season in terms of injuries I have no doubt we would have finished in the top 8. Of course there would still be issues and it would have still been right to get McDermott out and Furner in but it takes away the urgency, nervousness and immediacy to win games which we’ve clearly struggled with this season.

I don’t see a problem with Sinfield as Director of Rugby and Furner as coach. Sinfield is clearly learning the ropes for a couple of years before replacing Hetherington. Furner will have the same level of responsibility over signings as any Leeds coach has had under Hetherington.

Obviously my confidence for next season will largely depend on the signings we make, I believe we could do with 3 - a prop, a second row and a centre or a winger. Now the problem being that I think all 3 of these need to be of high quality and that’s difficult to do these days. However bringing Furner in is a very good start and boosts my confidence especially if we can get Ward, Watkins and Garbutt fit for next season. They have been major losses for us this year in my view and had they played all season I have no doubt we would have been in the top 8.

Exactly this. Sinfield isnt, and never was our long term coach, he's said it himself multiple times that Lowes takes care of the majority of the coaching, and again after fridays game he said he can now start the job he was brought in to do. It was a stop gap measure that went as bad as a lot predicted it would when it was announced.

The time to start judgeing sinfield is this time nxt year imo, when he's had a full season in his role as DOR to identity, recruit , retain and release players, working alongside what furner wants. Im expecting some unpopular decisions being made over the next couple of month because a lot of the good OO Contract players were already sorted for next season before sinfield got the job and others wouldnt want to commit to a team whos Superleague status was uncertain ,so we might need to dish a couple of 1 year renewals out rather than hand longer deals to equally as average players who are still on the market. Any really good player we sign now for 2019 is a bonus imo

This last few month has proved our DOR isnt a good coach, thats not a problem moving forward, because he's not going to be one. Lowes on the other hand is supposed to be a coach, and looks like he's goin to carry on being one, i wouldnt have anywhere near the club, it would of took a lot for us to look more clueless and unorganized than we had become under McD but Lowes sumhow managed it

I agree. I think it was actually overdue for mcd to go so no issues with that decision in the longetrm but I do agree he would probably have made a better fist of the middle 8's than we have.

That said, we are in SL next season and have one of if not our top choice replacement coming in. The future isn't exactly bright right now but I do believe all the introduction of sinny and furner are steps in the right direction.

As much as I understand Sinfield's dismay at the performance against Toronto, he really ought to have balanced the negative demeanour with something positive for the fans in his press conference. A terrible way to sign-off an awful season. Even if the desired signings may not be forthcoming, he could have smiled a bit more, expressed his relief at drawing a line under the last few weeks, and done more to highlight the kind of positive changes we might (eventually) be able to expect from Furner's arrival at the club. Where's the incentive to buy season tickets after watching that?

Let's see what kind of announcement the club make next week...

mcd may have done better in the 8's but then he may not. we were just as bad and getting worse under him. and moon would have stayed at 6 and a 2 or 3 man used bench could have proved disastrous. big changes needed but I see more of the same past it or not good enough players. hopefully we will be organised and having watkins back will be massive

Maybe but what do you think would have happened on here if Sinfield had seemed remotely happy? He would have been given some right stick!

I think he was rightly as annoyed as us all that we couldn’t even bother to finish the season with any kind of performance against a pretty average side which is what annoyed me the most, Toronto were not good either (no matter what people are saying)

I have to disagree. The whole season has been turgid and the Toronto came was the perfect sour cherry on the cake.

I don't want anybody at the club at any level to gloss over how totally unacceptable that is.

I applaud sinnys honesty at the position we are in and that he didn't try to fake grin it out.

I completely disagree - its about time we got some honesty from the hierarchy at the club. The season has been a complete disaster thankfully someone high up in the club has confirmed that

I thought it was time of McD to go but I struggle to believe you would have been as bad as you were on Friday. The majority of that team won a GF less than 12 months ago. Individual skills & commitment were atrocious. A typical James Lowes team. I had come to the conclusion that Leeds' successes had been down to SInfield & Peacock coaching on the training pitch. I'm not sure now.

For goodness sake get Lowes out of the club and also the conditioning guy too ( Davidson ? ) Hope Furner will select his own back up team.

The way I read the announcements about furner it sounded like Lowe's would be staying on to work under him.

Davidson is hilarious. He looks so out of shape I don't know how he can be a conditioner

We need a complete backroom overall. WE have had too many injuries, this must be put at the door of the conditioner.

If Stevie Ward cannot keep fit, we need someone else.

Taking conditioning and fitness guidance on a daily basis from him would would be like getting a lecture from your dentist at a check up who has lost most of their teeth and has bad gums but then tell you off for not quite flossing enough.

I wouldn't be surprised if getting messages every day from him on what to do if they just automatically ignore what he says.