He's running around like a headless chicken. One minute he's flat out the next he's watching play going past him totally gassed. Once the legs go the mind follows, he can't concentrate. I would rather he made 30 smart tackles than charge around all over the field (leaving holes behind him) to make 50+.

Still for dumb defence I think we are setting new standards this season. Watch Achurch when Dwyer scores first half. When the ball is played he's set to the right of Ferres who is marker, on the line (exactly where the try is scored). He then charges sideways around behind Ferres and is 5 yards up the pitch to Ferres's left while Dwyer walks over through the hole he left. WTF was he doing? The whole team is running in every direction when defending. It's absolutely bizarre.

Because no matter how bad 2016 has been for us, Luke Gale has more chance of winning trophies at Leeds than at Cas. I reckon we'll grab Powell aswell. Money talks.

I fear you might be right.
However, it's well known that Powell still feels aggrieved about the way he was treated at Leeds, as do Gale and McShane. Would they go back? I'm not sure...

I think you are perhaps wrong that Gale is more likely to win trophies at Leeds than Cas. Nowadays, this thing called the salary cap stops teams from just buying trophies and looking at your current squad a complete overhaul is needed. Although I am sure Leeds will re-emerge, given performances this year the threat of relegation is real (although I can't see any of the championship clubs doing well in the middle 8s, it is guaranteed that one SL club will be relegated or in the £1m game). Even in the immediate future, Cas are still in the cup and only a run of wins away from making the top 4 (though I don't think we will).
At the moment, I suspect it will be more like rats swimming from a sinking ship than a clamour to join the club at Leeds.

There is a disease that infects Southstander, a bit like athletes foot, you think it's gone and then in summer it flares up again. For some reason there is the belief that the only reason we don't have a player in our team is because we haven't decided we want them. All we have to do is put a shopping list together, Clarke, Gayle, Powell, etc. and add them to our cart, click "purchase" and the goods will be delivered.

He's been guilty a few times this year in goal line defence of flying out of the line to close down a non-existent threat, leaving a huge hole for a player to stroll through and score. Usually followed by standing with his hands on his hips wondering why nobody was able to cover for him.

Galloway was doing the same last night. It's like they know their legs aren't quick enough to get to where they want to be, so they have to sprint up the moment the ball is played and make their best guess

Never understand this rubbish about Watkins. The same gash is said of Hardaker. There is no doubt, with the expectations we have that both players have been a let down this year to what we expect, and what know they have in them. However, both have still been way above most of their peers out there.

The number of tackles Watkins is having to do for us this year is massive. You don't see other players purely playing centre making as many as him. That defence each game then effects your attacking side. Our weaknesses with the defensive structure is forcing Watkins to make that high number of tackles. For me he is a complacent player, who comes across as head not in it, and simply has not progressed to the level he should be. But his defending is not something I would be bagging, as without it I think we would have had even more problems this year.

There is much bigger problems with this team than that.

Our centres are defending near the posts. Last night Keinhorst had McGuire and Burrow outside him and not a second row in sight. Watkins clocked up 16 tackles by half time. We look better on the left because Ferres does run wide, but Delaney doesn't and JJB doesn't. Then of course you have Burrow who once again demonstrated he can't pass to his right.

The guys who have the most effect on a game are the ones who touch the ball most often and connect plays together. Hooker, halves, FB, ball playing forwards like Cuthbertson did last season. Outside backs can be the difference in a tight game (Hall's two tries in the CC final against Cas are an example), but we haven't been close to being in a tight game for most of the season. And that's the pack and the halves.

Watkins gets a lot of unfair stick IMO. His defensive load is far higher than it should be, and often involves him tackling big forwards well away from where he should be defending. Then in attack he gets no early ball and gets slated for not looking for it when he's probably still gassed from making tackles he shouldn't have to. That's not to say he's in anything like form but he's playing a role a class runner should never be asked to do.

Segeyaro is available from now and next season onwards, he's one player I would be very happy for us to sign. Leeds need a good hooker, I hope they don't go all out for Farah as he's much older.

Segeyaro is quite simply not the player he was in 2014. He dropped off a bit last year and now he's effectively been dumped by the Panthers. I'm not sure if he'd add much other than the fact he's not 'injured', especially if it meant he had to be signed for 3 years or so. The article I read about him said Leeds are still after Farah. Now that would mean marquee signing and wages.

Farah would be perfect for us imo. He is the leader type player with an all round hooking game. at 33 next year we would probably only get a couple of good seasons from him but we need someone to come in a steady the ship in that role, and there won't be many if anyone else available with anything close to his reputation.

Gale has signed a contract extension - to be announced soon (possibly Monday). Will cost you a lot more to get him now.

Like I said....decent player looks at his options. He sees what he has now and the speculated apparent interest from a rival club....a club languishing at rock bottom of the SL with no guarantee of SL footie next season. Which would you choose?



Arrogant to assume otherwise really

And herein also lies one of the problems of the salary cap - it's fairly unusual for players to move.
Say Gale is currently on 80k and his new contract at Cas is 100k. That's only 20k extra Cas need to account for under the salary cap. Any other club would need to find the whole 100k.

Depends who they get rid of to accommodate him.

Gale has signed a five year deal with Cas. Still intrigued to hear the news that will shock the world of rugby. Also going around Twitter yesterday was Aussie papers reporting Leeds have offered farah a 2/3 year deal.

To add to that I'm pretty disappointed we didn't get gale, I thought he'd be a perfect fit for us. But can't blame him

I hope we sign Farah. he is a leader and a hooker, two key boxes ticked on our priority list.

He will come if G.H dangles a Liverpool season ticket in front of him...a big fan apparently.

They could save £20k on Lilley.

he looks like the second coming of graham holroyd.

Perfect fit for us yes, but obviously not for him. As said elsewhere why would a decent player want to join a struggling bottom dweller SL club that has no guarantee of future SL status never mind the chance to win silverware within his career? It really is arrogant of some to think otherwise.
Leeds 2016 onwards (2015 is history) has to show it is a club going places: no sign of that is there?. The time to sign up players for 2017 is now and it aint looking good for attracting them really, is it?

We are dependent on the present set up lifting us out of this shiite to hopefully make us a better proposition for decent players to be brought in for 2018.

He isn't perfect for us at all. He is an improvement on what we currently have. He is a very good player, a player who with the other options around should be close to playing for his country, but perfect for us? There is much better out there, and it is much better that Leeds need going forward. We need someone with a lot more facets to his game whilst Lilley develops his own game.

Like I say, it would have been nice, but it is not disastrous we don't get him, unless we stick with what we have.

It's brilliant that people think we should be spending big to bring back a half we had at a young age who wasn't great and bumbles around the lower leagues and bottom of SL until he was 24 or so and to accommodate him we should dump a young half who is better than Gale was at his age.

Chill out mate- that's why I said "can't blame him". I thought it would be obvious I'm referencing our current position and set up. I too think he'd be daft to sign for us. Doesn't mean I'm not disappointed some how it didn't happen. I don't class this as arrogance.