Tremendous performance from the full squad who were once again so well prepared and motivated by Mac with a winning game plan. Leeds dominated from start to finish with McGuire outstanding Moon not far behind with Ward.

Moon’s centre play for Briscoe’s 2nd try was class and right in front of our seats was worth the flight over on its own

It was but the pass was a mile forward and i know that for a fact as we were also sat in that corner.

What a way for to legends to bow out of squad and what a to end the season for a great group of players and a great club only three things left to say now, MOT ALAW CHAMPIONES!!!!!!!!!!

I have now got to question the idea of having the man of steel award before the season ends.
Gale is MOS but McGuire is worth far more to Leeds than Gale was to Cas this year. A great big silver trophy shows that.

It was decided a few weeks ago but ask everyone now who was the most influential player that helped a club achieve something this year and it should be McGuire. Yes Gale helped Cas have their best season in decades but their hubcap win will be forgotten just like when Hudds won it. Unfortunately for Cas the top prize is the GF followed by Wembly.

All awards should wait till next week as the final game of the season really does matter.

I think it'd still go to Gale for the season if awarded after the GF......although Hardaker might not be in the top 3 anymore

You didn't need to be sat in that corner to see that! The game was gone for Cas anyway.

I was think that, in fact i was thinking (probably will) starting a thread on the VT

People and especially sky team, been hanging coach of year and man is steel round Powell and gale after about 8 rounds, much preferred the old awards super league player of the year, and separate mos award. Gale probably has been week in week out best player just like brough was a few years ago, but both are very week mos winners, not exceptional or biggest impact which is what the award is for, hence it is called man of Steel not player if the year.

Plus Powell coached a team people were tipping big things for, most people thought Leeds would struggle again to avoid or end up in middle 8's from middle 8's to champs that's the coach of the year.

Also Oliver Gildart, good player but a 3-4 year first team player. Walker 18 12 super league games and plays like an experienced driver vet in a grand final, that's the young player of the year.

Fantastic performance from Leeds. I understand why people would say Cas didn’t do themselves justice however I’d say they played well in the first 10 mins but Leeds defence held them out. I think a large factor as to why Cas weren’t very good was that Leeds didn’t allow them to be.

I also think too much is being made of the amount of knock-ons. I don’t think it came across on tv just how much it rained and how greasy the ball was. A ball that has been criticised by both coaches as well. I think in the circumstances it’s unsurprising.

I think missing Hardaker really hit Cas, especially in the first half. He usually always saves 1 try and would have added significantly to their attack, especially with kick returns.
I also think the occasion got to Cas somewhat and that Leeds were outstanding in terms of discipline and commitment and sticking to their roles. McGuire in particular was fantastic, it was like watching Sinfield in Grand Final mode.

I am however now a bit concerned about Gale at half back for England. He got very rattled when put under pressure and when his pack weren’t rolling him forward. Something that will definitely happen v Australia.

100%

Knobrot! The Harry Sunderland is for that. So you think Mags should have been MOS? Laughable. It's voted by the players isn't it? I think they know best!

Stats are up. Stevie Ward our top tackler with 40. Really thought Milner would have a big game for them but he came up NINE missed tackles and 3 errors.

Where can one see these stats?

Quote ="deginner"Where can one see these stats?'" www.rugby-league.com/superleague ... port/53206

Quote ="deginner"Where can one see these stats?'" www.rugby-league.com/superleague ... port/53206

i am absolutely speechless after yesterdays win
what a real show of guts and determination from the whole club in turning around our clubs fortunes from 2016 and also the embarrassing heavy defeat away to cas earlier in the season,brian mac called it holding their nerve and they certainly did that to deliver yet another gf win against all the odds

the moral of this is,write this club off at your peril

I totally agree, not sure that Gale would lose the MOS vote, but surely Mac deserves Coach of the Year transforming the team from qualifiers to CHAMPIONS without breaking the bank.
Well done Brian and everyone connected with the club.

Well done Leeds. Outclassed us in every department. Think we made 18? errors throughout which is criminal in a final. Whilst you made errors yourself every time we got the ball in decent ish position from your errors we messed up completely. Still was a good day out and hopefully a learning curve for us for future times.

DP was very honest in his post match interview. Cas possibly put in their worst performance of the season allied to a Leeds side that was not going to let two legends leave the playing staff without one more GF ring. DP is a fine coach and hopefully will come back to Headingley one day. He's got unfinished business at Cas for now.

Absolutely agree, but this same line has probably been posted after at least our last 4 Grand Final winning appearances, yet the same usual suspects don't learn the lesson and continue to bad mouth, bag and generally dis-respect the champion character, spirit and application that our team have in bucket loads.

I'm happy for people to have and opinion on and even criticise what they deem as poor performances and poor recruitment, but time and time again, the core group of blokes running this club, playing in this team have proven that they know how to get the job done, yet people are so quick to write them off mid-season and call for heads to roll.

I have no doubt the same will happen next year - and I can see us having a struggle again without Danny and Rob - I don't see who's going to be that game manager for us like Danny was last night. But I can tell you one thing for sure, even if things are not looking good, I won't be criticising Hetherington or McDermott, and I won't be one who'll be suggesting our guys won't be able to find a way out of it.

Well we had the usual talk of players needing changing and coaches needing changing which is fair enough I guess but some were saying the club ethos needing changing. After last night that is the most ridiculous thing.

Like McDermott said post match when they went through all that mess in 2016 and after the Cas hammering early season, the answer was to hold your nerve. Some fans didn't and call themselves realists, some fans could hold their nerve and were called apologists and sheep because of it.

Huge congrats to Leeds and especially McDermott who is a very fine human as well as a dignified and skilled coach.

As a Wires fan, I hope our rise from the ashes of the qualifiers is as spectacular.

This.

I hope Gary Hetherington is taking note - "This month is an important one, with games against Catalans Dragons, Wakefield Trinity, Huddersfield Giants and Wigan Warriors, and at its end we will be in a much better position to make an accurate judgement on the performance of all our players, coaching staff and senior management, including myself.... we are not stubborn enough to believe no change is always the best option."

Bloody doom monger, I hope he wasn't allowed to join in the celebrations

i must have missed his email after every other game we lost then, especially the one after the loss to Wakefield away

Indeed that is a great observation. No two teams are alike but all have been overcome. The best team over the season (not least in their four meetings with Leeds) not allowed to perform on the night - albeit coupled with their worst showing.

it was as if Cas were mesmerized by Old Trafford

I don't buy that - no matter how much Powell and others say that Cas underperformed, we simply didn't let them play.

I've just watched the highlights and we blew Cas off the park. They couldn't handle the speed of the game. We kept the tempo relentless in attack and our line speed in defence was possibly as good as I've ever seen.