I don't think it's a case of him not being interested in playing for Leeds. If the NRL is a no go then I think we'd be the first club he wants to play for in SL. He's obviously been tempted by the bright lights of the NRL and used some off field issue to help make it happen.

But bored of his Jeremy Kyle personal life and it doesn't help Leeds. If he's coming back to Leeds he'll obviously get the FB shirt and Sutcliffe reverts back to the halves, if not then we give it to Sutcliffe and we need to find more cover for the halves.

It's like the problem child in a class carrying on that causes all the attention to be focused on him and the rest of the class suffers as a consequence.......still it won't be the fault of Zak 'Ballotelli' Hardaker we'll hear.

I read an quote from Hardaker saying if it doesn't work out in the NRL this season then he'll be back at Leeds.
In hindsight he has gone at the worst possible time. His personal life in disarray, and his form, and confidence totally shot.

I think Hardaker will be back at Leeds in 2017. Which will make an interesting and tough decision to make re Sutcliffe as he's looked good at full back.

And also probably spells the end of Ashton Golding's Leeds career.

Personally never thought Golding would make it as a fullback anyway, there seems to have been another change recently back to bigger stronger fullbacks, who still posses a passing game.

He could maybe make it in the halves, as I believe he played junior rugby there, but that imo would take time and a full season in that position at least to learn. Didn't he sign a new deal recently?

Just trying to get my head around this issue.
So Zak comes back and assumes he can walk back into the team.
If we want him back the only issue is the salary cap if we have committed elsewhere, on the assumption he has gone.
If, as I would imagine, we do not want his disruptive presence around, I guess that would be very expensive. Presumably we would have to pay him his basic contractual remuneration even though we did not register him as a player.
I gather his father has gone out with him to Aus to keep an eye on / mentor him. Perhaps this arrangement should continue if he returns.
I am just so appalled at the waste of a very talented rugby player who, with a little more application, could have been even better.
Perhaps the best solution is for Leeds to write off the transfer fee and hope he finds something in Aus and more importantly someone who can impress on him how to be professional.

As said by others I think he's too small/lightweight for full back. Depends if he can make the transition to half back.

"Someone who can impress on him how to be professional"......the guy has had some of the best possible teammates you could ask for in that regards with Sinfield, Peacock, JJB etc. He's had multiple c*ck ups to learn from and we still hear the yearly Hardaker drama.....if he hasn't learnt now I don't hold out much hope that he ever will.

Perhaps Zak will comeback home without an NRL club wanting his services and also realising that the grass isn't always greener elsewhere?
If Zak doesn't get offered an NRL contract this year then he's going to have to eat humble pie and look for the place he wants to ply his trade in SL for because I can't see the NRL clubs coming back for him

I would accept Zak back at the club but with serious implications for him monetary wise should he step out of line

Lets hope that he has done some serious thinking and growing up whilst he's been in Oz and comes back in the 2015 frame of mind ready to knuckle down

Golding will leave the club IMO as he simply isn't big enough or good enough for SL at present and that is why he is playing for Featherstone Rovers and hopefully giving him a pathway to the next stage of his career

Baffled why people keep saying Golding to HB? Can he kick, can he pass, can he organise, can he lead?

Are we pretty much saying lets put him there because he can run in a wirey, lightweight way?.....Because if that's the sole reason (and I can't see any other) then that's not enough for a SL club especially one hoping to get back to challenging for trophies next year.

Kind of daft reasoning that sees the likes of a Golding type player usually get picked before a Lilley type player who has no real speed at HB.

I would be retaining Lilley rather than Golding without a doubt as he has some rich potential
Golding looks championship material at present to me IMO

Hardaker is well overrated and enjoyed a couple of purple seasons in a good Leeds side where his rugby limitations were to a large extent hidden. His game is all based on physique be it tackling or tackle busts. IMO he never showed he had a rugby brain particularly on attack where he seemed forget it is a team game. His lack of passing skills and space awareness will have been quickly spotted in the NRL where his character and attitude will be tested too.

He has to take responsibility for his own lack of success as he had everything going for him at Leeds and this season had a great chance to step up to the mark and show leadership. But he showed a complete lack of interest this year and gave the impression of sulking and lack of concentration. At a time when we needed him most he let the team and supporters down and appeared more concerned with his off field stuff. I hope he makes it as it would be a retrograde step to allow him back.

He has a great rugby brain in defence TBF. You can't put some of his great stops down to just being physical. Putting the attacker in two minds and not making it easy for them showed a smart rugby brain in that department (his post match touch screen last year with Wells was an insight into this) and his positioning for long field kicks made it so much harder for the opposition kicker and team to pin us down nearer our line (he was usually 2/3 steps ahead of most FB's when setting off for a long kick downfield to the corner), however like you said the attacking aspect just became frustrating as you'd think he'd learn over time but hasn't seemed to at all.

Hetherington holds the aces again. When will these players learn? A list as long as your arm right back to Calderwood that thought the grass was greener. GH has done all he can for Zak, yet the ego of steel walks out on a long term contract when the going got tough. Remember that Leeds still hold his registration. No NRL club will pay £300k for a bench warmer. And which SL clubs are looking for a FB? Wigan, Saints, Hull, Wire, Catalan? All no. For me, Sutcliffe deserves a shot at full back. Sod Zak.

How has he suddenly become to small to play at FB. He looks much if the same build as a Moylan, Slater and Tedesco and bigger than say Barba

Well he rarely showed much of a rugby brain in defence this season with missed tackles, leaving the high bombs to anyone but himself, getting knocked out on his own line when he should have gone to ground, not covering the ball movement in our danger zone and arriving too late to prevent a score, running down blind alleys, failing to pass and dying with the ball. Now this is evidence of a player without much of a rugby brain.

I put his one on one tackling down to bravery and physique and because he has lost a bit of speed his kick returns are now easily dealt with. I agree putting the attacker in two minds is good FB play however 19 year old Golding who you do not rate has shown this skill on a couple of occassions this season too. I regard this as a good skill but not evidence of a good rugby brain which is usually shown on attack by effective linking and creating space or an overlap for teammates.

What you're talking about in your first paragraph is form not rugby brain/ability and you can pick periods of the careers of McGuire, Burrow and Sinfield and accuse them of the same.

And Golding showing the same as Hardaker in defence......no not even close. If anything we all know on here you're the one who doesn't (and never has) rated someone and it's Hardaker, and you wanted BJB to get the FB gig ahead of him back in 2013/14.

Just on Zak's kick returns, while I'm inclined to agree he's maybe looked a yard slower I think that can also be put down to who we've had to field on the wings.

Zak was really the only potent returner all year while he was here, not to mention the added threat of been able to link with Hall/Briscoe. With that gone I'd suggest it made it much easier for opposition to deal with kick returns.

Same can be said for our shambolic defence and the effect it might have had on his own defensive contributions. Having said that this has carried over to the NRL with the much smaller Barba carrying him over last week.

Now I'm not saying we should excuse Zak for his terrible form and off season issues, but if he comes back from the NRL with a point to prove and head screwed on then we at least should try and keep him IMO

Golding showed exactly the same skill you mentioned i.e.: not committing too early when a player broke through the line and could have passed to a supporting player and in doing so forced the attacker into a position where a try saving tackle was then made.

I think I have been proven correct on my comments on Hardaker. I have applauded some of his defence but pointed out his very poor attacking play, a lack of passing ability and dying with the ball. You and others failed to spot this at the time and while most others now can plainly see what I was talking about you are still in denial.

Golding's showed that skill once or twice this year, whereas Hardaker showed it in nearly every game last year. And although his passing game is below par for a modern day fullback, calling Hardaker's attacking play 'very poor' is a little OTT. Let's not forget he was MOS last year.

No I think pretty much everybody barring one or two admitted his flaws in attack and were hopeful with his age and experience that he'd learn to improve in that department.

You saying Golding has shown up as good defensively is pretty much showing up your long held agenda against Hardaker though clearly.

Because his game is based on tackle busts, quick play the balls and stopping try's. This is much easier when you are one of the bigger and stronger players. In the NRL he is not. All those blokes you mention are quicker and or more skillful with the ball than Hardaker.

Same applies if he's going to be a centre or winger. The blokes (and they are few) in those positions who are smaller than Zak are again much quicker and more skilful.

I certainly have a long held opinion of Hardaker's skills and deficiencies which I have consistently voiced with very few agreeing with me at the time. In fact when I suggested there were several fullbacks in SL who were better on attack than Hardaker (eg Shaul, Dorn & Hanbury) this was treated with scorn by you and most others who thought ZH could walk on water.

Towards the end of last season and certainly this year most posters have become well aware not just of Hardaker's lack of form but that his attacking play lacks the basic skills. Which is exactly what I had been saying for several seasons. Now this is not about an agenda but is more about rugby acumen being upheld.

If Hardaker and the Panthers have patience I think he can go well in the NRL. He's way too lightweight ATM (he seriously looks underweight up against NRL players), and with a full off season would bulk up considerably. Part of his lack of strength though may come from d*cking around for most of the year at Leeds. He didn't look physically short against NZ last year, who as a group are bigger than any NRL side.

The other problem is his positioning and general reading of the game is way off. He'd be best playing reserve grade for the rest of this year to work on those things, then the off-season to get ready for next year.

You're just embarrassing yourself by that last line as you know most admitted he had work to do in attack.



His form in the second half of last year got him MOS.

Granted he's not as good as SOME make out, but he's definitely better than the low opinion you have of him that you've felt obliged to stick to from the time you thought BJB was a better option at FB than him.