A fully fit Cunningham may have been good enough, but we'll never know. He was fairly ordinary in a GB shirt against the Aussies and Kiwis though. As for the other three, stop being silly. Save the bizarre slapstick routine for where it's more appropriate





Six scoots from dummy half or first receiver in wide open space does not constitute quality, though I do concede that some find that entertaining.



We don't have the players, and we haven't had the players since the early 90's. Wayne Bennett couldn't have coached any GB or England team to a series win against the Aussies during the entire SL era.



Naming a handful of Aussie players who return to the NRL (the exception rather than the rule) is not a counter-argument against the 100+ average antipodean players who struggle to get a gig in first grade back home but currently dominate the SL comp.

Again you shed a light to your ignorance with this comment. Whilst Cunningham may have failed in the internationals, he has more than made that up in the club game where he has excelled. After all international rugby league isn’t the only stage that our sport is performed on and isn’t even the best stage anymore. I’d argue that the State Of Origin is the greatest stage that rugby league gets played on and there’s not a chance in hell that an English player would get in. But plenty of New Zealanders have managed to get they gigs in that contest due to swaps of alliances.

The state of Origin is these days used as a tool to draw talented players to come and play for the ever declining Australian international side. Despite these efforts by Australia, New Zealand are still the best team in the world at the moment. I’m sure that there’s plenty of players in the game that have had brilliant club careers alongside bad international careers.

You only have to look at the world club challenge to realise that the top teams of both Super League and the NRL are close because the club game is in much better health than the international game. In before you roll out the ‘Australians don’t take the world club challenge seriously’ line. Well if you want to play that line, then England/Britain don’t take the international game seriously. It’s only fair that we allow each other to create smokescreens for ‘beaten by a better side’.



Yes plenty of people find it very entertaining and that’s why the club game is as strong as ever. It’s the international game that has drastically declined and not the domestic. Give or take, the domestic game of rugby league has pretty much stayed the same in terms of attendances. But Internationally we’ve gone from playing at Wembley to playing in Hull.



We seemed to have the players in 2007 when England managed a series win over New Zealand. The previous year to that we seemed to have a team that beat the Aussies for one game. I know where you’re going to take this one though. But this is still exaples in the super league era when we have matched the big two on the international stage. Not forgetting the world club challenge of course.



Greg Bird, Greg Eastwood, Jason Cayless, Shane Tronc, Clinton Toopi, Casey McGuire, Brett Mullins, Dallas Johnson, Robbie Mears, Ben Walker, Darren Smith, Craig Smith, Tim Smith, and many more which makes more than a handful of Aussie/Kiwi players who’ve returned to the NRL after a gig in super league.

Yet you will still remain ignorant no matter how much facts are presented. Your statement above is nothing but assumption. The reality is that the bigger picture is a lot more complex than the small picture that you present on here.

Is G1 round your house?

I can't believe no one has mentioned Ian Kirke yet.

Perhaps they are unsure if he has made the required number of appearances to be considered. Well he has - 108.

Watch the floodgates open now.




Of those:
Andrew Ettingshausen - 41
Marcus Bai - 63
Cliff Lyons - 53
Marc Glanville - 52

The rest are OK.

Predictable much?

Case Closed.

What he said, but too much to ask.

very suspicious methods
probably the only guy to have seen all the relevnt players gives you five names,
you get to vote on them
the number of names is reduced (to five names?)
then someone else can decide which of the names left goes on the team sheet

Have you seen photos of his sister?

I must admit, no (surprising as Damo seems to share everything about his life on SS and the Sin Bin). Is Tad likely to use one as his avatar?

Have to agree...the era of Shoey, Atkinson, Hynes, Smith, Batten, Clarke et al coincided with an Ashes and a World Cup winning GB side containing many of said players.

For me the greatest Leeds side of all time (based solely on players I have seen on a regular basis - so excluding some outstanding players from pre 1967) goes...

1 - Holmes
2 - Smith
3- Hynes
4- Dyl
5 - Atkinson
6- Shoebottom
7- Seabourne
8- Clarke
9- Ward
10- Pitchford
11 - Ramsey
12- Haigh
13 - Batten

14. - Harris
15 - Sinfield
16 - Peacock
17 - Hanley

Bound to have missed someone obvious

me and my gaffer had a right debate on this subject this morning, out of all the players wev'e both seen play we came up with this

thornett
atkinson
senior
dyl
a smith

j holmes
seabourne

pitchford
ward
clark
ellis
haigh
sinfield

I think you've put in 2 left centres - so a bit of a cheat. I had to think long and hard about Senior vs Dyl. For me Dyl just shaded it. As for second row Ramsey brought some real mongrel and steel to the pack which every side needs. For me Batten was simply amazing and sneaked in ahead of Sinfield and Hanley (who was excellent but never in his prime at Leeds)

I should read the small print, however still not a bad team me thinks

I'm not qualified enough to comment on players from the 60's, 70's, 80's or even early Super League so my team will be way off for many people but here is my attempt. Don't berate me because of my age.

1. Harris
2. Donald
3.
4. Senior
5. Cummins
6. McGuire
7. Burrow
8. McDermott
9. Diskin
10. Peacock
11.
12. Ellis
13. Sinfield

I'm not going to fill in the rest as I'm not sure any one else really warrants them places. I know not many of these would make the 'Best Ever' side but they are just my thoughts. I am also aware that not many rate Donald very highly but playing in the same position I though he was amazing for at least a season or two and then suffered without an out and out centre partner towards the end of his Rhinos career.

Lauitiiti? most recognised overseas player in Leeds history imo.

OK I won't. I can go back only as far as 1989, so much as I am aware that there were better players before my time, I won't include them because I never saw them play.

1) Iestyn Harris (goes here because I wanted an altrernate 6 and he was good joining the line from fullback)
2) John Bentley (youth may have clouded my judgement, but I did like Bento)
3) Craig Innes/Brad Godden (both played 4 really, and I genuinely can't choose)
4) Keith Senior
5) Marcus Bai (made a huge difference to the 2003 team when he joined in 2004, edges out Carl Gibson)
6) Garry Schofield (could also have gone at 3, but there's a log jam there. Now noted as a gobe, but boy was he good when he was a player)
7) Rob Burrow


Roy Powell (ahead of his time in the athleticism he had as a forward, fearsome tackler, great ball carrier. Really nice man)
9) Matt Diskin
10) Jamie Peacock
11) Paul Dixon (see Bentley, John, a childhood idol, had to be in)
12) JJB (there's an element of sentiment overruling wisdom here, but he's a lad who had promise, then had injuries, then looked like he'd never make it, then came to epitomise everything good about the 07/08/09 sides)
13) Sir Kevin Sinfield (Hanley was technically a better player, but his best stuff was played elsewhere, and he didn't win 4 titles, a Harry Sunderland and a Lance Todd trophy while playing for Leeds)

I have ended up with quite a few current players, which actually seems only fair given that we currently have easily the most successful team of my lifetime. I've probably forgotten someone important here, but meh.

Completely forgot about Lauititi. That fills the 2nd second row spot. Cheers

cant incled Bai,didnt make 100 apps

Hanley couldn't really pass or kick, so I'm not sure thats the right choice of words ....

He was quite good at the other stuff though

superb athlete ,great tackler,broken field runner,these attributes still qualify him as a great player

I too forgot Ali, so I shall remove Glanville (who didn't play one hundred times anyway) and put him on the bench.

Well, for your information.... I didn;t read that bit.

Can I put Carl Gibson in instead.

100 appearances is quite a lot, probably means at least 4 seasons (unless they were very lucky with injury), so it must limit the field a bit.