Agree Sutcliffe will probably end up as a LF.
Maybe Steve Ward in the halves?
Tonight was like watching a reasonably good championship game.
Both teams with little idea, happy to plod it up the middle. No real game plan, poor distribution from the halves.
Has Sutcliffe been told to just pass the ball as soon as he gets it?
Yes we had plenty of players out but so did Saints and Wigan when they both beat Leeds.

Exactly this, did McGuire or Burrow lack involvement when they first came into the first team? No.

Other poster asked has he been told just to pass? Well I saw him in the pre-season friendly vs Hunslet where he was one of only a few first teamers on show surrounded by mostly academy lads with Pulme in charge......surely a chance to manage the game.....but no. Just looked like someone who waits for the ball and then could produce a step or two but no game manager or controller.

A poor performance and once again there was a lack of attacking ideas. Seems like all McGuire did was drop the ball back inside. Bish certainly isn't a top class fullback. McDermott needs to earn his wage and sort it out.

The "mid season slump" is hopefully not becoming just the start of the slump. Awful!

Our attack is so predictable it's a joke. Once again our kicking game was pants, is it that difficult to plan who kicks the ball on the 5th tackle?

Only saw the result, Sutcliffe kicking?

He had one good year at six, after a lot of reorganising and releasing of players to fit age restrictions. Never really at the forefront at all up until that point,then the opportunity came and it worked. Ward looked much better at stand off in the academy than Sutcliffe did.

That said I think Sutcliffe seems to be taking most of the brunt here, and unfairly. His half back partner, the longest serving in the Leeds team, the experience, was diabolical and should really have given his partner more of an opportunity to shine.

Sutcliffe for me still looks a future player, just not in the halfs.

Also how can anyone give BJB a seven last night? Sure with ball he can move, but his defence is worse than under 12's., his positioning is really poor, and he looks like his insides are dropping when a kick is put in. Feel sorry for the lad, as with Salfords other signings his position over there won't be any different to what it is here.

Also might have only been six minutes, but thought Mulhern really stood out in those minutes. With no go forward from Bailey throughout the match,why did we waif so long to bring him on.

7 is just a subjective view ,IMO was one of the better ones in a bad bunch. Didn’t see him drop any bombs, took a good try down the right channel, defence was so so but as I said he wasn’t alone there. Will be glad when Hardaker takes back the full back spot. Bish to the wing since Briscoe is severely disappointing with lack of form at he moment.

If Briscoe is dropped then the replacement should be who the club are planning to take BJB placed next season. He has played enough games to show a replacement will do like wise. I am presuming Handley will be that guy, so he should have opportunity to prove himself and understand what is needed.

That's the Aussie mentality but Leeds do not have a NRL type quality in depth are you saying Handley is better than Bish on the wing?

I am saying I do not know, but I would like to know, and so should the club, before the replacement is needed next season, assuming it is him. The only thing we do know is that BJB is not here next year.

Due to the wet conditions both teams decided to play a lot through their pack and rely on a good kicking game. Only expansive when in opponents third. Wakefield were better at all 3 and deserved to win by more than 2 points. Mathers was exceptional.

You need to off load Macguire and get a couple of decent props in....although you let Moore go?....

We looked flat and lethargic again. There was no spark, very few people running lines off the ball and the forwards weren't dominating. Maybe that's to be expected with the injuries we have and I have no doubt we'd look a lot better with Leuluai, Ablett & Achurch back, but I'm still frustrated by Bailey. He played like you would expect a young lad would, not like a senior player who should be leading the pack alongside Peacock. Especially with so many young lads in the team.

I'm also frustrated with McGuire. I know it's never easy to be a halfback when your forwards aren't dominating and aren't running lines for you but McGuire has needed to lead the team in Sinfield's absence but hasn't appeared to bring any structure or spark at halfback, again, something very much needed with a young lad alongside him at halfback.

The often inability to get a kick away annoys me but I've noticed in the last couple of games the first kicker appears to be Sutcliffe with McGuire as 2nd option and a couple of times Sutcliffe was put under a bit of pressure by the defence and so passed the ball on to McGuire but that just gave the defence time to pressure McGuire too. Resulting in either a charged down kick or a rushed pass on to centre. Sutcliffe actually had time to get the kick away and I wonder if it's a case of the difference between 1st team and u19's where he'll get more time to get a kick away, and I wonder if put under more pressure than he's used to he panics a bit and passes it on.

Disappointing loss, some senior players need to be better and show more leadership and experience than they are, but injuries are key to us at the moment. If Moon doesn't get injured I think we win that game.

Sutcliffe is the best half back you have imho and was probably deferring to his Captain.
Any time you are not happy with him you just send him on loan to Belle Vue.

I was bitterly disappointed with last nights performance. Apart from his try, saw why Bish isn't a top full back. When he got pushed back over the line (even though Smith was offside), he should have been looking to hit the deck. Out of position for the first try (Hardaker tends to defend along the try line in those situations so he can read the play) and he was on his knees when tackling Mathers for his try (Zak would have wrapped him up).

With him going next year I'd be looking at next years options like Gotcha said.

Our lack of structure is worrying. There was no second phase and why don't we have an offload game? The forwards really struggled, and like mentioned, Bailey showed nothing. His only moment of note was giving the little guy a push on the floor. Thought Mulhern looked good when he came on for his cameo. And Minchella brought enthusiasm. Another good performance from Walters

Not a great Leeds performance but my man crush on peacock grows by the season.

Incredible efforts he's putting in again this season. Hope he gets man of steel, phenomenal player and top bloke with it.

Double post

Got what we deserved in the end the structure and basics were all wrong again imo.
No communication ,too many errors and dare I say it "one man" RL again ,we didn't even get the "Grind" right.
Also Mc.D and his 1 man Coaching band need help asap its just not happening and injuries alone are not to blame.

I think we're all being a tad too critical. Yes, it was a game we should have won. Yes, our attack needed a boost. But really, the game would have been won had we had Sinfield kicking. I know it's easy to see a loss and panic, but we lost by 2 points - 2-4 points Sinfield would have kicked. Let's remember we're relying on our FOURTH choice kicker.

And we're saying we can't blame our injuries, but why not? When we were at basically full strength we were Top of the Table with the best defence in the competition. Our players are going to start coming back and with them, our level of skill and ideas will increase.

That's not to say there aren't changes McDermott could make, or that those first-team players we have had playing have played to their best, because there are always improvements to be made, but I'm certainly not worrying about the rest of the season. And I'd rather this 'slump' happen against teams such as Wakefield who a) Are not challenging us for high spots on the table, b) we use frequently to give younger players SL experience, and C) As a team I don't want to see them relegated.

Reading this it's evident the majority chose to stay at home and watch the game on TV. True supporters! Sure you will all be out in force for the cup final/ grand final though.

Are you one of the bunch of idiots that used to sing "loyal supporters" at fans who left early when Leeds were getting hammered?

Nope. Just a very poor turnout last night, smallest leeds following I have seen in years at Belle Vue.

Doesn't say much for the home "following" for Wakefield's cup final either, does it?

As poor as it was we were we should still have held on to take the points. Truly awful defending for the final try, especially as Wakey had telegraphed that switch move several times in the lead up to it. It was ridiculously laborious and predictable yet still enough to fool the Leeds team.

Still, how Ryan Hall was judged to have deliberately played for the ball and knocked on and Mathers didn't a couple of plays later is another mystery.

This is a really bad result. Those points will matter at the end of the season and we should have done much better than that. Our attack down the right, which was so promising at the start of the season has disappeared with Zac Hardaker. Every game BJB plays at FB must be cementing his position on the wing at Salford.
Dare I say this, but we are really missing Rob Burrow.

Oh, and Sutcliffe will be a big loose forward with good hands, pace and a dangerous step. A busy half controlling a game he probably won't be.

I agree whilst having some sympathy for the team. IIRC Walters was defending at centre due to Moon's injury and it was he that went flying in field from the Wakey play the ball that Tim Smith spotted and sent the ball back the other way, leaving Hall 2-on-1.

Whilst we weren't good enough and some players need to pull their socks up, if Moon hadn't been injured we win that game.