Do we finally have a marquee player then?

Great signing not just for what he brings on the pitch, but having arguably a World XIII player signing contract extensions should help us attract further talent (both established and the top academy prospects) and sponsers

Phil Caplin mentioned on either talk sport or proper sport a while back that he had a similar deal going as Jonny Lomax where the rfl top up his wages to keep him in super league

Jonny Lomax - hahahahahaha

Why would the RFL pay part of Jonny Lomax’s salary to keep him in Super League? No NRL clubs are after him.

It’s not the job of the RFL to be paying part of players wages and the wrong thing to do IMO. It undermines the salary cap, which is supposed to make Super League more competitive.

looks like it going by Kallum's comment about the deal

My thoughts exactly.

Now where are the folk who are quick to jump on GH and McD for their supposed failings. Another excellent re-signing. Generally we don't lose our home grown stars until a time when we're happy for them to move on and we've had their best years. If those individuals who are quick to have a dig are genuine supporters, you'd think they'd be just as quick to give credit where it's due on the retention front.

Watkins comments clearly show the players respect and appreciate how the club is run and the culture that has been created.

Unfortunately this us true, saints only offered him a miniscule contract but resigned as RFl agreed to top up his wages. Not even one of saints best players but gets a RFL central contract, massive RFL own goal.

yes we are very fortunate we have GH how Leeds United needed CEO like him these last 15 years

GH is holding the game back, but Leeds make money so why would he vote for change. His ***** of a wife nearly killed Hull FC, along with James Rule.

what on earth is your game on here ? I know youre all descended from travelling people and you don't like the city of Leeds ,but unless we have a game against you undesirables cant you stay on your own forum

What change is this that he's preventing?

Reserve grade, salary cap, CEO - Nigel Wood's appointment was in a large part due to GH's backing.

GH has been brilliant for Leeds - but not all clubs are in the same situation as he is and perhaps he needs to consider how/help these clubs develop.

Why are those things on GH's head. You'd think he has the sole vote on all matters.

The reserve grade thing is funny that Leeds/GH gets stick for especially when Hull, Wite and Saints dropped from running a reserves this year.

You 4 of the other top 5 clubs with teams, you had Wakey and Leigh starting reserves and some other like Halifax and Keighley. Why wasn't that enough with the potential that more could join in the following years?

Leeds' don't need to be in the reserve league for it to work if its such a good idea.

so, insults from Leeds fans, what a surprise. I envy your success, but I am not jealous of your intellect.

look
Like I said earlier I have no animosity with Wigan or with other clubs , but I certainly do with Hull . I wont walk up the ginnell at the end of the game with that lot .keep to your own forum

it's a discussion site, we don't have ginnels, if you can't handle discussion then keep singing Leeds Utd songs and holding the game back via GH, whilst not even actually being in Leeds.

you embarass the majority of Leeds fans.

Along with Wigan Leeds are the most powerful club in the league - if GH leads others will follow but if they see a club the size of Leeds looking after themselves why should they take the high ground and try and do what is best for the game.

The idea that the salary cap should be reduced benefits who? certainly not the game which is desperate to attract better players. Surely a club the size of Leeds could afford to run a reserve grade team - if they did it would be difficult for the likes of Hull and Saints would follow suit.

The less said about Nigel Wood the better

and its your intellect that's in question when you suggest that Headingley is not IN Leeds , or are you trolling again .I am saying I don't risk trouble walking out of the ground through the ginnell among those foul mouthed people from Hull and you don't come on here to discuss all your posts are trolling

"If GH leads others will follow".....well why don't they embrace DR like he does?

And let's not portray it as Leeds are being selfish and others are being honourable. You honestly think clubs who want a Reserve team aren't doing it for the own personal reasons and self interest. Let's not pretend Wigan or previously Hull or Warrington were trying it for the game as a whole and other smaller clubs.

Again there's 11 other SL clubs, along with lower league clubs. Plenty of clubs to run a reserves league......they don't need Leeds to hold their hands. If it's the great idea it's meant to be those other big clubs should be happy Leeds weren't involved as surely it then gives them an advantage over Leeds.

DR as originally intended, with a franchising system, should work better than a reserve competition. What we have now is a farcial system which degrades the second tier competition. Correct that all clubs are acting in their own self interest - on this issue I personally think what works for Leeds isn't in the interest of the game as a whole.

It's by no means certain that Leeds could run a reserve side whilst at the same time retaining the likes of Callum. Squad sizes are such that the only way this could be done would be to play a great many youngsters as often than not, regardless of how this would fit with their development. The quality of first grade competition is patchy, due in no small part to the number of injured players and it's no difficult feat to imagine how threadbare some reserve sides would quickly become. The resultant blowout scorelines would benefit whom, exactly?
Of course, teams could run with larger squads but this would mean that the wages would be more thinly spread meaning top players would be more likely to look for greener pastures, Wigan stylee. Now, I'm not claiming GH hasn't had influence in retaining the SC at its current level but until that's redressed reserve sides will create more problems than they solve IMO.

Lion armour87. As a rugby league follower of Hull for the best part of sixty years, and accepting the rivalry between our two clubs, your posts are inflammatory and show your ignorance regarding our clubs logistics, and the great people of Kingston upon Hull. People are allowed to traverse this site regardless of your parochial veiw on forum usage. I have friends from Leeds who regularly visit the KC and have done since the days of the Boulevard, without problems, aside from the exit of our car park, I don’t believe you have any knowledge of our great City, and furthermore the administration should take action against your abusive offerings, which you are associated. Good luck to all the good people of Leeds who will I am sure will travel in numbers on Thursday, as true fans do.

spot on

TRUE Rhino's fans are a pleasure to spend time with.

I can assure you we're not.

Some fair points - perhaps if the SC were refined that would then give scope for more investment in players? Perhaps if Leeds weren't lending out players they would have sufficient to provide a reserve team. If the 19s were scrapped so the progression was U16, U18 reserve grade that might work better.

Given that the base of the side would be the same the previous year's U18s with the addition of some first team squad members then you shouldn't get anymore score variation than you do at U18s and everyone still sees value in those competitions.

This would possibly give the younger players a further year of development and it would give the squad players a regular game outside of going to another club.