It's tempting to think that (and I have) but the senior players most on here expect to depart - Fusitua, Sezer and Tetavano - are all out injured. Maybe Austin is on the outs, but if he is he certainly hasn't stopped trying. If anything he's trying too hard. Bentley maybe a lose cannon, but I've not seen him lack effort.

Agree largely with this. Personally I'd retain Austin. If he is guilty of anything, it's trying to do it all himself. Perhaps in his mind he feels that no one else is stepping up. On the wider point of contracts not being renewed, perhaps the list contains more than the usual suspects? Over a longer time horizon that a year, granted, but with the push that they find other clubs sooner rather than later.

And maybe that is the case. My worry is that whilst other clubs seem to be aggressively getting their business done we are biding our time. I guess none of this would we really worry me if we were winning 2 out of every 3 games, but we aren't - so I look for positive news elsewhere.

I don't disagree. I'm just trying to look for reasons why we may be where we are. As I've said in other posts, shades of Wire last season. Perhaps the reasons are similar. Perhaps they aren't.

How do your know where biding our time? You’ve got no idea what’s going on behind the scenes

His post match interview and I quote " I said to the blokes in there do you want to fight or "Tap Out" what kind of protection is that to a fault? At least Powell took some bullets last year,not your Mr Wonderful Smith who needs to take a look in the mirror. I've seen some crap performances but that was straight awful.

Fair points, Batley. He arrived last year and took us from bottom to the GF with a style of football that left most of us baffled but also very pleased. There was some great rugby mixed with tremendous, character filled back to the wall performances. I remember a couple of pieces in the Aussie press suggesting that he could be the next great NRL coach.That should not be forgotten. I expected that this year, with a full pre-season behind him, we'd see a more hard nosed high intensity approach. That has not materialised and in fact he has doubled down on last year's eccentricities. 15 games in, despite a few memorable flashes in the pan, it hasn't worked. He might be stubborn (not a bad trait in leaders) but he's not stupid. He will know something has to change. He's still a very young coach and there is time yet for him to get past this and come up with a refined and successful strategy.Let's see how he rises to that challenge. I might not say this if I thought the next Graham Murray was out there waiting to pick up the telephone, but he isn't, and in all the many calls for his head over this last 24 hours I haven't seen one available or viable replacement mentioned.

Stop trying to lecture people Arthur, the simple facts are we're not good enough. You can't go for grand final to this in a few short months.

We are the laughing stock, soft touches of Super League. But let's just float along and pretend it's all just fine. What happened to this once mighty club?!

Go back and listen again. He said that about himself as much as the players. Did you go yesterday? I did. He could have mentioned a couple of completely game changing errors from Martin, a couple from Austin - I could go on because the list is very long. None of this excuses his part in yesterday's result, which is substantial. Just because I don't relish kicking a man when he's down doesn't mean he's Wonderful Mr Smith. Maybe you need to take a look in the mirror.

I do apologise if lecturing means disagreeing with your opinion. I've been watching them a long time and I remember a couple of decades when were the leagues biggest soft touch. I've learned patience. Who's your next coach, Brad?

much the same as his qualifications for being a winger , no go forward unless put in the clear and unfortunately not had same centres as cummins

how do we know Handley wants to play full back?

There you go again, just unnecessary and arrogant.

FWIW John Kear doesn't sound like a terrible acquisition to me me.

Hey up,this is my first attempt at posting on this forum
The one stand out thing this Leeds side does really well is handing the advantage back to the opposition. Do not know if there is a table for giving needless penalties away , but I reckon t'rhinos will be up there.Losing to a depleted wakey side with only 12 men ( 2nd half ) still takes some believing

welcome.
and you are correct. plus when you are passive and invite pressure it's a recipe for disaster. teams like wakey and cas you go at them, put your foot on their throat and done let go.
no us. we let them attack and gain confidence

It won't let me quote your post about Handley Tad.

Basically, Rohan has said a few times in interviews that Handley is keen to play FB and the club believes he has the attributes to develop there. The same has been said by Craig Harrison and John Bastian.

IMO he should only be at FB when needs absolute must.

I've no issue with Handley been given the chance to show he can play fullback if thats where he feels he wants to play. But these last few games have shown he is not a fullback and should be back on the wing.

Isn't that the point - he's been given the chance and has failed to take it? Why persevere at the expense of the team?

I had no idea if he wanted to play there or was simply put there.
Well as a full back he is poor. very

We're a professional sports team. We cannot seriously be in a situation where a player says "I fancy a shot at playing there" and he gets to play there, in first team games, with comp points at stake.

It happened a few times in the NRL. There was a fad a few years ago with a bunch of threequarters clamouring to play full back - presumably for the higher prestige and salaries. Most sank without trace, even talented players like Val Holmes. Mitchell is now a very good full back, but I'd argue he could have been seen as one of the greatest centres of all time had he stayed there, rather than 'just' being a very good fullback. Bottom line is that the skillset is very different to the rest of the threequarters - just because someone is quick, strong etc doesn't mean they can play fullback.

I dont think he would have been given the chance if we had a fully fit squad, as was the case at the start of the season

I agree but also handley played quite a bit of preseason and trained there most of it. Craig Harrison went as far as to say he will be in the 1 shirt in the longer term.

If it was up to me one player I do think could make a good attacking FB is Newman given the opportunity.

Do the players not speak frankly to each other?

If Handley has fancied himself at FB, surely during a game / training / getting changed / heading to their cars / having a coffee at some point, someone (I'd be looking at someone who seems fairly 'straight' and who says things as they are) would say something like "Ash, I get the FB thing and wanting to be more directly involved and creating things more than just finishing them... But, you are 27 now and have been getting selected at wing for years, where people are positive and complimentary about your efforts and skills over the years. Can you, hand on heart, say you have played better the last 6 weeks at FB as you were typically playing on the wing...?"

I'd be doing it, if I had a colleague on my team whose role change was meaning me and everyone else having to pick up extra slack to cover their inadequacies. Especially if the role they were doing before was one actually, they were decent and reliable in. They must be around each other 4-5 hours a day, 5 times a week, and no-one at any point has said such a thing to him..?

There is a clear lack of leadership in the group. I could only imagine someone like Donaldson or Cam Smith being the type to maybe say something like that. Myler might have been more likely in the past, but seems to have regressed and stepped back from doing that since his marriage ended.

If in conversation with GH, RS says he wants to give Handley the 1 shirt next year, GH should be pulling the trigger. That would be the final evidence, the crowning turd in the waterpipe, that RS does not know how to set a team up to win in this country.

I don't see it happening.