My thoughts too rhinoms i also hope that the kid can make an impact like Hardaker and Chris Hill have made from the lower leagues, but IMO he is well below the standard that they were showing when they were snapped up

I was very disappointed when the club let Dan Smith go as i though he had all the attributes to make it in SL, I'm wondering if this Is GH's attempt at appeasing the fans should Baldwinson be announced by the NZ Warriors very shortly as their latest capture from these shores?

If we end up losing the likes of Dan Smith and Jordan Baldwinson whilst signing players like Ben Cross, Daryll Griffin and Richard Moore from outside our structure as these have all had minimal game time at the club, so surely we could and should have persevered with these talented kids?

I recall speaking with Rhinos scout Bob Pickles and he was raving about both these two as being future Rhinos first team players without a doubt

It's all the more hard to comprehend when Leeds seem to have made largely the correct decisions in the backs (apart from maybe Broughton)

How much of an effort did Leeds make to keep Dan Smith?

Frankly, the option of spending time out on loan or on dual registration at Hunslet against playing lower grade stuff in Australia wouldn't have been much of a pull to keep him in the UK.

Not sure we did make much of an effort to keep D.Smith AG!!

What I'm getting at is that if Leeds offered him a contract commensurate with his status - an Academy graduate who IIRC hadn't even been in the 19-man squad for a first team game at that point - and he's jacked it to go to Australia, there's not really an awful lot else the club could have done without setting a precedent.

It would hardly set a precedent Andy.

If he is/will be good enough then you put your faith in them. If still not enough then you move on.

This will not be the same offer to every player, so hardly a precedent.

You could argue now. What seems like a pointless signing in Yates, could be deemed by potential future stars as another obstacle in their development. Someone like Smith or a Baldwinson might not appreciate that, and money may not have been the decider.