Yep, said it for years, that year group of:

Gannon
Edwards
Simpson
Gatus
Edgell
Morgan

Is one of the best intakes we'v had in 15 or so years.

Newman not only looked good when he broke into the side a couple of years back but improved and when he returned from his broken leg was even better. So much so that he was as good if not better than any other in the comp. He has always been confident, not bothered about the odd mistakes and never shown nerves or let the pressure get to him. In other words pure class from the moment he made the side. Gannon has also taken his chance and really looks the part with a great future ahead of him.
In the case of Broadbent I wonder if it’s a case of having a bit of a break through year in 2021 he thinks he is better than he is and believes he is worth a massive increase in contract. This can be a problem with agents getting in players heads. Now he is getting a chance he needs to take the opportunity prove himself. Certainly needs to improve on Fridays effort!

Yeah, made a lot of sense to put him straight in va Hurrell! He should have been playing from game 1

While I can see the appeal this is a long way down our priorities. Until we get a dominant pack and performing halves nobody is going to look good in the centre as they will have no space to work in. Broadbent should be given the opportunity to see if he is at the level a lot of people seem to believe personally the jury is out for me. We then have Simpson and Edwards 2 potential high quality centres to come through in the next couple of years. Thats why Broadbent needs to earn his spot and why signing somebody else on a 3 year deal would block their progress so is not a great use of an overseas spot.

Bo ain’t going anywhere this year. JJB is ‘excited’ to see him play!

Agree - the club clearly see Simpson as a potential star and Edwards we know has been marked as a big player for a little while. I am not convinced Broadbent will sign a new contract which is a shame as I would much rather Sutcliffe wasn’t here and we kept Broadbent.

We simply need other things much more than a centre. We need a big dominant pack who can always keep us in the game. If we have that then our halves and outside backs have a chance. Without the pack it doesn’t matter that much who is playing centre they simply won’t have the ball or position to make enough of an impact

I wonder if Broadbent would be better converting to fullback. As you same, we seem to be producing a few decent centre/backrow options, so he might struggle there long term. I rate his ball playing ability as better than Walkers. Still wouldn't get past Myler in the starting line up though.

Broadbent has had his head turned

Broadbent is a funny one, whilst i agree he needs an extended run, and deserves a chance over under performing players, he is 21 and if he is deemed not good enough to get a game over poorly performing centre partnership then there if obviously questions over either his ability, attitude or face does not fit. So he either needs to move on himself, or the club need to move him on and look to see what Simpson and Edwards can do. He will be 22 next year so he is good enough by now or not.

I might be doing broadbent a disservice but I feel like I've seen what he has to offer already. Contrast with Newman who, if he stays fit, I feel has barely tapped into his potential yet.

Walker is improving each game,play Broadbent at centre.Broadbent will only improve by playing each week.

Broadbent must wonder that the hell he has to do to get a regular run at centre when his pathway is currently being blocked by Briscoe (Who will never be a centre as long as he has got a hole in his 4rse) and also Sutty too (How many years does he get to actually nail down his best position, and what is it?
He was actually signing for Castleford prior to the Covid outbreak ?)
Name me a SL club that either of these 2 could get a starting position in at a rival club and especially in the centre position?

Broadbent certainly wasn't great defensively last week but surely he cant get thrown under the bus for this poor showing?
He certainly needs to be given a run of games in order to show how good a player he is and in his best position too in order for the club to offer him a new deal?
(Although he could have already sorted his future out elsewhere for 2023?)
Corey Hall had to leave the club in order to get regular SL game time and is starting each week for Wakefield despite being behind Briscoe, Newman, Sutty and also Broadbent too whilst at the Rhinos, So there clearly is a pathway for talented players at other clubs who are willing to give them a go.

The Rhinos have also got Levi Edwards and Max Simpson coming through and they both look exceptional talents that will also make the first team squad in the next couple of seasons, They can both also play in the centre's too so perhaps the club have decided that Broadbent can move on, or actually know that he is moving on if he wishes

All of the above valid and Broadbent should get an extended run in the centres allowing some poor performances. This will establish his true current value of either a new contract offer from Leeds and locking down a position or if he is allowed to move on due to developing players coming through behind him.

Look at our pack. It needs some serious investment. It's dire.

I would go so far as saying Alex Mellor is WORSE than either Ian Kirke or Chris Feather.

An utter disappointment.

Tetevano - a complete dud. Get rid.
Thompson - see above.
Prior - whilst he still may offer something, he is obviously at the back end of his career
Oledzki - superb
Holroyd - looks a real talent, just need to get him fit and playing consistently.

Need some serious surgery in this area of the squad. We require 2/3 new halves also. Are we in another transitional period due to our recent signings being sh-te?

In the short term we need to get rid of some of the above and find ourselves a couple of Ava-style props - big guys. They don't need to be the greatest, but big enough to hold the middle with the likes of Oledzki and Holroyd. The myth that you don't need genuine big men has been completely busted. We've got too many props that aren't big enough and get wiped out by bigger opponents.

You didn't need big men when we were effectively playing touch and pass for a year or two. That's over now and the big boppers are busting through again because they generally get rested enough. We've got 4 genuine props of which one has been banned and another not played a game. It's no wonder the rest of the team looks crap if we can't get out of our own half...

This was a known gamble that has backfired spectacularly.

Yep and it’s no coincidence that Warrington are in exactly the same position.

Personally id be tempted to try get a big prop from the championship, I know we don’t need any more plodders but id at least prefer a plodder that can actually do a job. And it doesn’t have to be a plodder id be going all out ti get Dupree from Widnes.

Alan Hunte reckons that Dupree might be Salford bound, apparently he was there on scholarship originally?

Tyler was actually at Salford initially but Marwan Koukash put paid to that when he cut back the academy system funding there and that is why he had to leave the club.

No surprise there really IMO as you could write on a postage stamp what Koukash knows about the game and how to run a professional club and it's certainly no coincidence that
Salford have looked a much more balanced and well run club since Ian Blease took over the reigns and they subsequently made a Grand final in 2019 and also Challenge cup final in 2020 as a result of his appointment

Tyler Dupree should never have been allowed to leave the Rhinos as he was always a talented player, Although he did lack a bit of aggression in his game.
Could this be yet another example of our club letting a player go too soon that we will regret?

The club certainly struck gold in the past when they signed players from the NRL that weren't really regarded that highly and who also weren't also on marquee contracts too in both Kylie Lealuai and Ava Seumanufagai
Both of these players gave far better service and performances to the club than our expensive Marquee players that we have recruited recently in Trent Merrin and Zane Tetevano

Chris Satae at Hull FC is yet another example of getting a talented player that is not a box office marquee player, The talent is clearly out there

Completely agree with this. If you look at Melbourne's success model, they have had Jesse Bromwich as the cornerstone of their pack, but other than that do not spend big on front rowers, and replace them regularly. Tetevano has been a huge disappointment. If you are spending marquee on a prop, they need to be top 5 in the comp in my opinion.

I think Alex Mellor was a decent signing on paper. He looked decent at Hudds, and as Tetevano has showed, it might be worth going for english talent over paying more for oversees players who end up on inflated wages. My problem with Mellor is that he's soft. Every tackle he looks as though he's really badly hurt. Needs to do more of the tough stuff and put his hand up more. No issues with him leaving.

Gus Gould put out a tweet the other night that in the NRL you have a salary cap of around $9m, but need to have at least $11m in market value of players. I think a big issue with our squad currently is a lack of value for money. We're probably close to the cap, but the actual market value of players is probably lower overall. Saints are the opposite at the minute.

Zak Hardaker might be available, dropped for Good Friday game with Saints for ' unprofessional off field matters ' Would we want him back ? No,never !

Not done a lot wrong from what I’ve heard. Just breached some ridiculous protocol for unvaccinated players. He’ll be playing again very near future…..