Shame it has ended this way Watkins has been a great player for us - sad to see him going

I don't think Watkins is going because of his injury though. I think it is more to do with value for money, and recovering form. Let's be honest, in terms of Ward, when he is on the pitch his performances far outweigh his cost. On that basis I think the club would work with that and see what happens over next 12 months.

Not knowing the ins and outs of what he is on I don't think his full wage counts on cap there will be a fair bit of dispensation frlor him being home grown and is he not one of the elites who has further dispensation to keep him in league n super league?

On his day he has been a pleasure to watch with great balance and feet. I wish him well and feel sure he will regain health and form and will grace the rugby field of SL NRL or Union.

As others have said this looks a good move if it allows us to recruit a class halfback and having been critical of Sinfield I tip my hat to him on such a positive and bold move.

However I would pose the question as to why we did not try and get a transfer fee by selling him rather than pay him off to get out of the last two years of his contract, which we must have done.?

Regards the transfer fee, I think this is the club being fairer to Kallum, if he’s free to find a club without them having to pay a fee it will greatly increase his options on where he can get a contract , especially if he’s wanting a crack at the NRL

Hmmm, wondering if this one will potentially come back to bite us. I'm all for giving Newman a go, but to me Hurrell is either rocks or diamonds and doesn't have a great injury record.

I don't think Watkins has ever consistently shown anything to make me think he's world class. He had huge potential in his early career, but has never been a Senior/Lyon/Gidley type centre to me. Still he's well above average for super league on his day, and I do think we could end up missing him should he regain top form at some stage with another team. Having said that, he's not a player I would want to be near the top of pile in terms of income at the club

We have an unusually good crop of centre (and back row) prospects coming up from the academy over the next few years. Of course most probably won't make the grade, but there is some potential at least.

I would perhaps rest him on Friday aswell, let the dust settle a bit

If he goes somewhere he does not have to make 40 tackles per game and has a decent stand off half then i can see him leaving us with egg on our faces , but hey lets just sign some more Joe Average players . If Sinny wants to start afresh then maybe he should have some spies out and about watching what some of his players get up to on a night out as from what i hear it is no suprise they can't perform come game day .

What is it that you hear?

Pontefract is a wonderous place.

"wonderous" is not the word I'd use.

Sure at one point sampkins was marquee at Wigan yet only 75k counted on cap. I feel he has masses to offer Watkins. In World Cup for me he was about the best centre. Including Mitchell etc. Very interesting to see his next move. Hope it’s not union but he could easily make his money there

Been a wonderful player at times but never quite kicked on to become the world beater i thought he might but still a world class centre imo and the best in this country for a while. Of course not at the minute since his injury but he still has time on his side to make it back to the top in his next move.good luck to the lad when he goes.

That’s been going on though for years, and through the very successful era. Bailey and Delaney were very bad boys at times. Ferris and even Watkins have had some wild nights. Of course this is Leeds though, where fans think only Hardaker wasn’t a choir boy.

Can't see Kallum being offered a contract in the NRL, not even at sign anyone English Canberra.

I'd keep Donaldson & Parcell too. Also I don't know if it's because he knew Liam Sutcliffe was no threat, but Lolohea was quite dangerous with flat passes missing out a man earlier in the season. Reminded me of a Brent Webb type of threat. I think he should be given another shot at Stand Off.

Not until he learns how to tackle more than a special kebab from iamdoner

If our pack dominated Lolo wouldn't be in a position to have to tackle often. Unfortunately our 2nd row have been awful all season.

He’ll have to defend. Yes our pack should be more dominant and so make it easier but halves are expected to have decent tackle counts because they’re targeted by the opposition. He needs to be able to make around 20 tackles per game.

We’ve been lucky in the past to have had McGuire, Burrow and Sinfield. Burrow was obviously renowned for his ya Kline and whilst McGuire was unorthodox he’d actually defend quite well if technically awful.
Lolohea is very weak defensively and unfortunately Myler has looked weak too although admittedly alongside an out of sorts Watkins.

Flaming 'eck! What Ponte RL gossip have I missed out on this time? Presumably it will involve the Big Fellas as it did the last time I was clueless about the SL player drama there..?

I'm sorry its ending this way for Kallum. He's been a class act until his injury which has clearly taken its toll. Remember that he's remained at Leeds when he could have earned more elsewhere. Unlike some of the dross in our team, his dip in form is almost certainly due to his injury, rather than a poor attitude. I hope the fans will give him a big send off at our next home game. On the other hand, I'm heartened that Sinfield is clearly taking tough decisions to put things right. This must have been a tough call for him. I know he's been criticised for keeping JJB and Ablett, but as many others have pointed out, they won't be earning much, and are probably acting as mentors to younger players - this is what we don't get to see. Despite the Watkins departure being described by Rhinos as a "mutual agreement", it will be interesting to see how some of the other players react to a situation in which Leeds would appear to have in essence terminated a playing contract - let's hope it gives them the kick up the backside they need, rather than having the opposite effect.

Watkins hasn't developed as much in attack as he could have but on his day both for Leeds and England he has been absolutely massive in defence. Best example for Leeds was the 2015 GF. He was effectively having to defend for Sinfield as well as centre, because Sinfield's legs had gone, and he was tremendous. Also in the World Cup Final he was brilliant in defence.

Personally I think he could do very well in the NRL if he gets his speed and strength back and he picked the right club. Hall went to a team with some incredible outside backs and will only get a game through injuries, when there are other clubs where he could play every week. His injury may cause his first contract to be lowball, but if he signed for one year and the chance to prove himself he might surprise a lot of people.

Someone mentioned Lolohea getting another go. For me its quite simple. First get fit, and if he can't sack him. There are a lot of things in sport that are difficult to quantify, like effort and commitment, but fitness is one thing you can objectively measure and an absolute requirement for him to be able to do his job.

Absolutely. I wouldn't even entertain the thought of playing Lolohea until he was at a playing weight. Put him on a diet + fitness plan. Make him earn his wage. Cos he is stealing a living at the moment.

Expect Ward to be shown the door if he breaks down again (once back of course)

Watkins quoted hes only leaving to free up cap space.
not sure about that myself. think he has something lined up. suits both parties imo