we miss donalds raw pace. smith and hall are great players but haven't real out and out pace from a standing start.
donald gives us that.

a big decision for bluey when he is fit. wouldn't shock me if smith moves to centre again

Smith is far more dangerous than either of them.

Smith should be fullback, with Webb in the halfs, and Burrow on the bench as impact hooker.

Leeds were very poor IMO and if it wasn't for some peices of indivdiual brilliance you wouldn't of gained a point if i were a Leeds fan i'd be worried.

Im not worried but I'm getting angry! if any team turns the ball over like we are this season they would struggle to win. the fixes are easy, but for now it's getting a little frustrating to watch.

Why??
This team have earned our trust and if there's ANY team in this league you never write off it's US.
We are struggling for cohesion and form but there are other factors to consider so no i'm not overly worried and i'm sure in the cold light of day many other Rhino fans are the same.

I for one will NEVER wire off Leeds but if you replay the game last night you will no what i'm talking about.

I have mate and it's exactly what i thought poor for an hour but a great comeback with great spirit and a bit of quality.
It shows we have it and that when we do click we can do some damage plus the bonus of the returning players getting a match under their belts still like i said no need to worry at all afterall other teams will hit a slump and have injuries so still all to play for.

True like i said i'll never write of Leeds, best team in comp.

Not at the minute

McNamara's take on whether it was a point won or lost.
"Mixed emotions. It's like your mother in law driving over a cliff in your brand new car."

Well, theres still along way to go.

But certainly if we don't start getting some form together soon it's getting to the stage where, bar a ridiculous winning run we'll struggle to get into a decent enough position in the playoffs.

Alot of people have said ''we can win it from anywhere in the 8'' and I agree we have the capability.........but it would be damn tough. You'd have to go to places like warrington, wigan, saints hudds and win in consecutive weeks and that's a tough task.

Theres so many quality teams in the playoff positions this season, probably more so than other season where all bar 3 were essentially making up the numbers.

I don't think finishing in the top 2 has ever been more vital with the amount of quality in there.

Over the last 3 years

A point gained we were rubbish for 60 mins!! I hope this can spur us on to a win on Monday .After the last few weeks a point is welcomed!

I honestly think we may have turned the corner there in the last 20. There was a smidgin of attacking shape being shown by us, by then, whereas for the first 60 there was none. It was give it to Burrow and let him give a short hospital pass to a forward.

Once we actually got it out the back to McGuire (or Webb, Burrow or Sinny) and then started hitting the ball at pace (thank you Ali) then we started to look a half decent side.
What I really enjoyed was the desire that flooded back into us in the second half. There was a set where Bradford didn't get out of their own 10 near the end, and the kicker had 4 players on him. Haven't seen us defend like that since the Grand Final.

My two main worries personel wise are Senior and Burrow. Senior cannot for the life of him shake a tackle at the moment, like he has been doing throughout his 10 years at the club.
About Burrow I'm sure it's been said about twice a season that teams have 'worked him out' and he's always come back to form. Last night he defended like a trooper but attacking wise offered nothing IMO.

Before the game, I thought I saw enough in our first half performance last week to feel that we were in with a good shout. There's a couple of Bulls fan at work and they were not expecting to get anything from this match. I reckon next week they'll be the ones with a smile on their faces.

Let's be honest, for 60 mins there was only one team on the park, and despite somehow gaining a draw we were garbage. There's enough posts listing our continuing shortcomings so I am not going to repeat them in this one.

Catalan must be feeling very confident about their home game, and I suspect their pack will have a field day.

So where does that leave us? Forget the 3 in a row, that's history. 4 in a row? Get a grip..... we will be so far down the table that we will struggle to make the playoffs, if the first quarter of the season is anything to go by.
Cast your mind back a few short weeks, and we were all of the opinion that this was one hell of a squad, and roll on the new season! Feck me, pride certainly does go before a fall!.

Will it come good? Maybe. I hold onto the thought that form is temporary whilst class is permanent. On a positive note all the guys out injured should come back and be fresh for the business end of the season, and the drier summer grounds should favour our style. Smithy slotted back in better than I thought he would, so that's one less problem. I just hope we haven't dropped too many points by September, and I never thought that would be a phrase I'd ever use.

A final point. Yes we were doing our headless chicken routine, but booing your own team is not on. I was already peed off and could have done without listening to those s!

ps Happy Easter one and all

The thing is, history doesn't lie. Grand final winners generally come from the top 2.

In fact, they always have done. bar 2005. Our grand final success has always been built on the foundation of decent week in week out consistency and a top 2 finish. People say we have the capability to win from anywhere in the 8 and I believe that too, but let's not get carried away with our previous success and think we are some sort of invincible playoff machine. Remember, top 2 finishes back then.

If saints and wigan occupy the top 2 at the end, it's going to be tough to see anything other than a wigan saints gf as those 2 teams have excellent playoff records (if no in the gf itself).

If you finish low down in the playoffs this year you're going to have to go to places like warrington, hudds wigan/saints in consecutive weeks and win. A very tall order. Remember, until last year leeds have only needed to win one game at home to make the grand final. Last year 2 games at home.

It's going to be really interesting to see how the rest of this season pans out. I still think we'll come good, but I think it's going to be someone elses turn this season.

Because the most experienced, highly paid player in the team is not smart enough to understand he was a dummy runner/blocker and failed to pass it behind Kylie to Sinfield.

Still, the Leeds fans love his accent.

It's a secret club rule... no last minute drop goals to win games. It's been in effect since Wembley 1978.

Last night i would have said a point lost, but we were rubbish for the first half, and gradually got better, and from that far back a point was a good result. I agree that the top 8 format alows teams from outside the top 4 a greater chance of getting to the grand final than the old top 6 format.

there is a hell of a long way to go yet. we do need to get some consistency and soon, but a couple of wins and the confidence will return.
i still fancy us to finish in the top 5 although i think top 2 may be beyond us

Quote ="DHM"It's a secret club rule... no last minute drop goals to win games. It's been in effect since Wembley 1978.'" Apart from this game. www.slstats.org/2006/6/16/Salfor ... hinos.html

Quote ="DHM"It's a secret club rule... no last minute drop goals to win games. It's been in effect since Wembley 1978.'" Apart from this game. www.slstats.org/2006/6/16/Salfor ... hinos.html

Forget the 2 GF wins and the WCC the overall standard and level which Leeds have played since TS & BM departed has declined.
The bulk of the players Bluey inherited played under TS/BM and even with the addition of some quality signings the general standard is slowly declining IMO.
Yes you might say the sliverware speaks for its self but overall our performances over the last 2 years have been average with the odd exception and a few get out of jail performances.
Surely Bluey should have one of the easiest jobs in SL coaching lads that have played together season after season man and boy along side overseas stars in front of the best supporters in the rugby world at Headingley so how come our performances are declining unchecked.
Bluey talks a good fight and yes the other teams are stronger but looking round our team on paper we can't lose.....that is until they actually have too play then they look lost,lack direction and confused why?
35 years watching Leeds through good times and alot of bad yes we've had a great last 6 years but am i the only one that thinks our performances are poorer or average at best compared to 2004/2007?
Leeds for life but i'm no fan of Bluey.

oh goody, another alias.