Does that say more about the comp as a whole though than about Saints? Catalans have folded like a cheap tent, Hull have been good so far but you get the feeling it could all go boom anytime. and Wigan have been below their best, well below yet again grind out results but you wouldn't fear them really.Warrington are decent team but far from 2011/12 side and heavily reliant on Sandow.And that is your top 5. So yes, i agree Saints look like they could sneak up on the rails if the cards fall come the play offs, but they really shouldn't be anywhere near with that current team. Just my opinion.

Dare i say it, i would actually fancy our chances right now had we got the right side of some tight games and still being a chance of the four.

If we'd beaten warrington first game, beaten wakefield at easter, saints away, catalans and widnes at home......we'd actually be 5th now based on current table and in with a shout of 2nd. All games we should have won but just lost. Barmy.

You could even argue, and I know this sounds mental, that the only real difference between us and wigan is that they were on the right end of some very close results at the start of the season, and we weren't.

And its true. We would still have been awful, but lets not pretend the likes of Wigan and Saints have been a whole lot better at times they have just won the really close games.

Whilst we might have a decent squad of players if fit.
We will still have a pretty poor half back pairing whichever 2 get picked out of McGuire, Burrow, Sutcliffe and Lilley.
One good signing would make any of those 4 look good alongside them.
But to think we might win something with what we have is optimistic to say the least.

Fair point about the quality half, we definitely need one.

Regards us being able to win this current comp from here say we were in 5th right now, what team would likely stop us? and who would you fear were we to make OT again? a place we have made our second home the last few years.

Saints have been a million miles ahead of Leeds? Haven't shown it in either of the two games where the sides have been in direct opposition this season.

They've scrapped their way to more scruffy wins than Leeds were able to do, but you'll struggle to find a single Saints fan happy with the way they've played this season or with the belief that Cunningham can turn it around.

What happened in the two games we had against Saints this season? At full strength, we're a top 4 side.

Your right about the saints fans. My Mrs is a season ticket holder there and everytime she comes home she can't believe how bad they are even when they win. Just shows how poor the sl as been this season. I don't care who wins grand final as long as it isn't wire or the pie eaters.

we lost so many games this year by scoring the same amount of tries as the opposition (on maybe one occasion more I seem to remember) but couldn't convert the 4 to 6 points. Don't underestimate how important it's been not having someone who could kick at goal the first half of the season. If we'd have had an 80% kicker we'd have won quite a few of those close games and our season may look similar to that of saints. Looks like sutty may be finding his kicking boots which is excellent news all round.

Assuming McGuire doesnt call it a day I cna see him having another stop start season just like this year. Another year older and the injuries arent getting any better. Burrow is evergreen but better as an impact from the bench. Im not entirely convinced by Lilley and its certainly not fair on him to have to carry the team at such a young age. I think we'll end up with plenty of cap space. i can see Hall gone and JJB might call it a day, Delaney is looking to leave and despite Watkins denials if an NRL club come looking he'll be gone like a shot. It looks like st george are in for segeyaro so we may well be right back at square one in the hooking position although Farrah may finally fall into place. Its scary that the club dont seem to be making any plans to recruit for next year. If this abysmal season hasnt been a wake up call then nothing ever could be. I fear the last few wins have papered over the cracks and the club will use this as an excuse not to invest in the squad, Money seems to be the big issue at the moment. The clubs disgraceful call for supporters to pressure the councils planning dept smacks of desperation and there doesnt seem to be a plan B. If that falls through and we have demolished the south stand in the interim will we be left with a three sided ground and no funds to finish it, Maybe its time fro a new more dynamic forward plannimg CEO at leeds.

If we lose Hall, JJB, Delaney, Watkins ,Segeyaro and Hardaker and end up with no south stand, it will make this season look like a belter.

I have faith that the sleeve and Caddick are too sharp to end up with a 3 cornered ground and no coin to rebuild

So according to rhino phil leeds are going to end up with no hardaker, watkins, mcguire, jjb, delaney, segeyaro and hall. On top of that one will be signed and there will be a half demolished south stand with financial difficulty.

F*ck me I think I need anti depressants after having the misfortune to read that lump of sh*t.

Abletts retirement party will be a somber affair!

Had we had a goal kicking quality half back we would now be at the other end of the table despite the terrible injury list and other factors. Our first priority last year should have been to replace Sinfield followed by a hooker. This still remains the same now if Segeyaro is returning down under and should be the focus before any deal with Ferris.

IMO JJB despite missing a lot of games has added more to the side than Ferris this year. He made 200 tackles more than any other Leeds player (6th in SL) and 270 more than Ferris with far fewer errors and better tackle busts and clean breaks.

Firstly, I'd advise you don't believe every rumour you hear. Secondly, money is clearly and definitely not the big issue - the club spends full salary cap, as usual, and paid out a transfer fee earlier in the year to bring an England international into the squad (whose deal in turn needed to be carefully structured so we wouldn't break the cap).

With the regulations in place within the league you have to manage your cap carefully but also take a pragmatic view over several seasons. We are largely left with the squad we have for next year because most players are on long term deals. The stability and security of those long term deals induced them to be here and at their best in 2015. Sure if times have changed, next time contracts come up for renewal we say thanks and let them go. But you would never have had the success of last year if Leeds hadn't had a very settled culture and team over several years.

If Hetherington had been the sort of CEO to react to whinging fans by constantly chopping and changing the squad it might have kept you happy in the short term but it would have made the club immeasurably less successful in terms of trophies won.

Yes, because they're always very vocal about potential signings aren't they?



Leeds Rhinos - papering over the cracks since 2007.

How any Leeds fans can criticise Hetherington is totally beyond me!!!

I don't think most think money is an issue. Longer term planning is possibly more of an issue. I have said this before Kevin Seinfeld' made a lot of people at Leeds i.e. coaches, players, CEO look a lot better at doing their job than they actually were.

2015 was a great season for Leeds but was it worth compromising the following 3/4 season for due to a squad hamstrung with inferior players tied into long term contract where longevity of contract is traded against pay? Do Leeds really want Delaney until 2018? This strategy restricts the agility of the club to react when things start to go off plan. Perhaps Handley only signing for two years is acceptance that young players will not be tied down for long periods on miniscule monies in sport where lack of talent is an issue.

Is this squad strong enough to compete next season, does it have the quality in the right positions - only time will tell.

As you say if GH was the type of CEO to listen to fans then maybe things could have been even better not replacing Kevin Sinfield' has proved a monumental oversight and has seen the team now facing the likes of Batley and Featherstone rather than Wigan or Warrington. Perhaps if he had listened to the fans this could have been avoided?

The desperation at HQ is plain for all to see - I was run in June to see if I would renew my season ticket - when I asked what would happen if we were playing in the championship the girl on the phone was unable to proffer a response.

Who would you have replaced Sinfield with Sal out of interest??

Oh look, a fan who thinks he knows more than GH.

I'll give you a tip - you don't replace players like sinfield. They are pretty much irreplaceable. You adapt without them. Could someone have been signed to mitigate his loss? Maybe. But who was really available? for what price? what was our cap looking like? what was their mentality like? There's lot's of ins and out's to it we don't know.

Furthermore, at times this season the entire team has been fundamentally broken. It's too simplistic to simply put it down to a failure to sign a sinfield mark II, because there's been so many different factors.

Everyone is a realistic scenario I know for a fact Delaney has wanted out for a while. Im not saying all could come to pass but some my well. Keeping hold of Segeyar has to be the number one priority but thats entirely out of the clubs hands if he wants to go. If we dont have a new half back in place next year the club will have been grossly mismanaged.

so this is a successful season is it? Avoiding bottom place on the final game and playing in the middle 8s? Are you expecting a late run to the grand final or something! Top 4 should be a given with a club Leeds size, anything else is a failure. If you start accepting this sort of season as the norm it wont be long before we are in the same position Bradford find themselves in

This season hasn't been a success, that has been plain for all to see, but the last 4/5 games and hopefully the middle eights will show that actually we are not a million miles away. Whether that's a compliment or an indication of the lack of the quality in the league is open for debate.

In terms of the squad, I think you don't and are not able to do a big revamp over night.

The backs are proven class, with Handley and Keinhorst decent back up. Im hopeful Hardaker will come back refreshed and ready to go. The pack has shown it can mix it with the best if set up properly. Chiko is a must. If he goes to St. George than I'd try and get their current 9 Rein over. Props are OK, back row has a few too many workman types, but the attacking kind don't grow on trees and having Ward will be like a new signing anyway.

The big question mark is the halves. Lilley and Sutty might not be good enough, and even if they are, it's unfair oe unrealistic to expect them to carry us every week. Burrow is best of the bench in short bursts, but can cover 7. Danny Mags unfortunately looks done.

I feel like our main problem this year is consistency and an ability just to play solid rugby, both which can imo be fixed by a dunneman type.

I suppose we'll see, one things for sure, Everyone involved at the club wont want a repeat of this season.

not sure how anyone, at this moment, can question Hetherington.
nobody saw this season coming, including everyone on here. if changes are not made next year however, especially signing a quality hooker ( should segayaro leave)and half back, then he seriously would need to be questioned as it's obvious what we need