well i guess we will see over the next couple of seasons. I'd like to think not but the team he has still on paper is as good as any in SL at the minute still and should be top 4 no problem. You have to cut him a bit of slack imo for the slow start due to the injuries but now bodies are back you expect results to follow. I personally can live with a mediocre season this year because of how good last year was and transition and all but with the players he still has at his disposal Mac should be able turn it around if he is good enough, if he feels he needs an organiser then that's for him to identify and sort out with GH for next season no excuses really.

If the rumours are true and he wanted rid of Burrow and get a half back in but was over ruled then I would agree he should be given a bit of slack.

What is hard to take is the poor performances of many of the players - they just don't seem committed?

I'm not sure i would say not commited, but it certainly seems like a few of them just expect things will just happen without laying the platform first. Also, would like to add our work at the ruck is just awful at the minute, scruffy as hell and teams are just controlling us from there.It's happened every single game bar the opener against wire, and needs sorting asap.

I though that too, easy meters every time.

I'm not sure i agree that the players are not committed. There was no lack of effort last night just no organisation and creativity. This coupled with several senior players out of form leads to displays like last night.

I don't think commitment is the issue, there's still plenty of people putting the work in. Teams are putting loads of effort into stopping the offload game, and we don't have a plan B. Cas scored two tries where they made a gap for someone to walk through untouched, when was the last time we did that?

I also agree with Biff, we do not win any ruck atm no matter how many numbers we put in. Not saying we need to be uber wrestlers but we need to better, at the minute it's leading to penalties and worse, quick ball for the opposition.

For me defence is a about commitment and we are letting so many easy tries I just we are not as committed to defending our line as we were in 2015

agree with this and plenty of the other comments about organisation etc. the one key thing tempering my disappointment a bit is the the unquantifiable impact of losing the training ground. The article from rhinos website posted elsewhere by printer mentioned loss of the wrestle room and other facilities they have built. Is this key to how weak we appear at both collision and ptb? From that we are always on Back foot. One thing you can practice in a park is open play kicking and last tackle kicking - no evidence we are doing anything.

But surely you can practice some wrestling just on grass, at the end of the day that's where the game is played?

As you say kicking is the biggest issue, I wonder if Mac has instructed any one player to take command (It sure doesn't look like it). Or he's just left it to the players to sort out, in which case one of them needs to grow some, because at the minute it seems they're all scared of messing it up on the 5th, shifting it to someone else which ironically leeds to us messing up on the 5th...

They do all the wrestle stuff in a type of padded cell. We might all be in one by end of season

not heard that rumour. Why would he go from that to making burrow captain in mcguires absence

Lack of suitable alternatives!!

Because rumours sound juicer. He could've given it to Hardaker who he's praised recently for his leadership or to JJB on his return.

Hardaker will never be captain in a month of Sundays. Petulant wind up merchant.

Not a chance to give to Hardaker before Burrow - JJB wasn't fit to play at game 2 so as I said lack of suitable alternative.

And serial miscreant.

Yes their was....."Here Zak, Mags is injured for several weeks so I'm making you captain in the meantime"......simple.



I know he wasn't but he has started the last 2 games and McDermott could've switched the captaincy to him quite easily. Ablett was fit for Widnes game post McGuire injury so he could've got it before getting injured, maybe Cuthbertson too. So yes he did have other options rather than someone he apparently wanted rid of.

Don't be n0b head - he could have named Handley as captain!! - the point is with the current culture at Leeds Burrow was never going to overlooked - politically that wasn't possible.

JJB would have been the obvious replacement but it was very likely that McGuire would have been back before JJB anyway. So given the obvious scenarios - well to most of us - Burrow was the only realistic choice.

Really is their any need for insults





No he wasn't but I forgot that common sense and logic can't get in the way of a juicy rumour to the point were you throw in a name like Handley as comparable to Hardaker, Ablett or Cuthbertson.

had this discussion after the match , why should mags and burrow be captain by default

kev didn't have ten years service when made captain, but people with his single mindedness are very rare.

the one interesting thing he said at the carnegie talk was that the champions get reffed differently.

Do they get watched differently too?

more expected or less?

In your case yes the insult was well justified - your were trying to be clever and I simply pulled you up on it.

The insult was directed at your sex life, your friendships at work etc.

Burrow is obviously favoured by the club - that have some influence in what goes on. I am not the one who started the rumour it was all over this forum the he had signed for Cas for this but GH put his foot down.

My response with Handley was to your "Here you go Zac". Others have already pointed out why Hardaker could not have been made captain. As I said JJB would have been the obvious choice but he was injured where you Cuthbertson from only you know - perhaps a desperate straw grab from the back foot

I really am living rent free inside that head of yours aren't I





Yeah and Ryan Brierley signed for us too





"Was a hissy fit because you came up with a logical counter point that I couldn't handle because it came from you"



They've given A reason THEY think he couldn't be made captain, it's not a reason that has any fact behind it.

i would have considered jjb as club captain but not sure regardless of stats he should be playing .

how many of his many of his metres are drives at the line with no real go forward,

when he first got the no 11 he was capable of hitting gaps and running .