There isn't abuse of Kirke. It's about losing respect for a work shy cart horse, who actually has all the credentials to be a first class forward. He is simply not stepping up to the plate. That is plain to see for anyone watching with eyes open. If coaches can not see that, then that is their issue. It would be the same comment for anyone else putting in the same.

Yes it is the coaches issue and reading your posts thank god for that

Integral. Guffaw.

Ridden the coat tails of some great players. Had a chance to show us what he is made of these last few months due to the various injuries to Peacock, Bailey and Kylie. It was his chance to up his role from that of "breather for JP". Sure, there have been obstacles, like those nasty smaller opposition forwards and that terrible pitch at Widnes that just gives him the willies. What has he shown us? His true colours.

Granted I don't see him in training or the gym but I've seen nearly all of his Leeds 1st team appearances and he's kakka, whatever Smith, Mclennan or McDermott may think.

Now, feel free to voice your own opinion, even if it is baa baa baa.

Agree.

He's obiously a player that simply doesn't make waves, trains well, is always the convenient, cheap, ''breather for JP'' option and that is why he's remained a fixture despite being average.

never integral but was a useful squad player.
not anymore, he should have been leading from the front on friday. instead the likes of foster was showing him the way

Are we talking past exloits or here and now??
Quite simply if we are going on what role players played in our success we should have kept Webb ,Senior and Ali to name just 3 but we didn't we moved on and that's what should have happend in the off season with Kirke IMHO.
Singleton has shown he's more than ccapable of doing WHATEVER role Kirke has fulfilled in the past and in Baldwinson ,Tonks and Foster they have even more potential and hunger to take us forward.
Getting sentimental or looking back doesn't take us forward for 2014 and beyond it's feck all to do with who's picked him in the past it's what i personally have seen and know what's available to the Club he's 32 now and there's no improvement in him so 2 yrs is a poor call by GH and the Coach imo and whilst i pay for my ST etc i'll retain that right to an opinion and no amount of whining about what happend last year or beyond changes that.

He definately was not worth 2 years

Agree. I have seen him training in the gym and he is a very good trainer, but have to agree with you regarding his on field performances.

While we have had JP kylie etc he has always got away with just giving a breather to JP. Against wire we had alot of younger players there and he as a senior pro should have been leading by example and stepped up, however he gave his usual performance. 2yr renewal of his contract is a joke

G1 is correct in stating kirke has hung on the coat tails of top class props for many years.i ask all those defending mr kirke,would you be happy with him and for that matter moore being our starting front row when kylie and JP retire? Because to me,that is a scary thought after witnessing their respective efforts over the last few weeks.kirke can only hope JP lasts another 2 years so he can keep pulling the wool over certain short sighted fan's eyes.

Apparently I'm a Kirke lover because I don't think he's the devil incarnate. At the start of the season he was a steady 4th choice prop who was hopefully going to be challenged by Singleton.

That I questioned the theory that Kirke (a prop) was stopping us from giving an academy 2nd Rower more money apparently made me have 'blue & amber glasses' on. He's been given a contract.....Griffin & Lee Smith had contracts and mid-season left recently, that Leeds re-signed him was keeping an option open, it doesn't mean he'll see it through or be starting 17 every week (but with Vickery now out of the scene Kirke is the poster boy for blocking ALL our academy players.)

He is selected every week regardless of others availability, regardless of form, regardless of other players.

The picture you paint is quite different to the real one.

Since somebody else mentioned him....has there been any word/sighting of Vickery since his last appearance?

I saw him eating with Mitch Achurch a couple of weeks back at a Leeds Rugby Foundation fundraising night. Really nice blokes.

It's not though is it. If people noticed he's been on the bench whilst Moore and Singleton have started of late. When Leuluai and Bailey return he could possibly be 6th choice prop. Yet some still seem certain that he'll definitely 'block the path' every single week for the next 2 years.

Kirke is a cog in a GF winning machine.

Go and remove some unspectacular part of your car's engine and see how well that works.

Smith, Webb, Buderus, Lunt, only as examples have all been cogs in GF winning sides. They have been replaced. Did the car fall apart?

I would liken Kirke to a Wheel Trim.Remove it and my Car works just the same as it always did,infact you would never even have known it was there in the first place.

More like the furry dice

More like 7 month old empty starbucks coffee cup and other litter lying in the footwell of my passenger seat.

It's there but really it shouldn't be.

Nope. The mechanic is good.

Was going to post something but then read this and thought, "why bother - tad has said exactly was I was going to say"

no, but they have been replaced to a certain extent. And by that I don't mean that Kirke is irreplaceable, just that he has his role, and he does it well enough to keep being rewarded.

He is a frustrating player, who I think should do a lot more, but I think the problem is that people think that just because he's is a prop he has to do certain pre-defined things, and I think that is far too simplistic.

When Peacock leave I don't think the club see him as a sucessor. I would expect either one of the youngsters to take on that role, or a marquee signing to take that place.

Given the fact that he has consistently been played by not one but, three coaches, you have to conclude that there must be something that we ordinary Joes can't see. I have to confess that, I have in the past and continue to fail to see what that something is.

On a positive note, as others have already suggested, I thought young Foster was a revelation.

Such as carry the ball every now and then and when you decide to do so go forwards and not backwards with it?

Maybe Kirke is a think outside the box type of player and I am just a luddite.

Maybe Kirke's out there to do things that you can't see from your seat?

Maybe he's McDermott's on field assistant and is passing on the coach's advice but by wearing a kit and dressing up as a player he doesn't get sent from the field like a trainer would?