Well, I dunno, as I said, there is a rumour hes off back to the NRL. But if he stays, our front row will be pretty weak as I cant think of any english props good enough for us, off contract

Good grief.. imaging if saints had Lyon on the right and soliola on the left...
we might as well pack in

Gidley will stay another year or retire. I definitely think he can do another year, but its up to him. Obviously i hope he stays

There'll still be gaps to fill when cunningham and long go.

So you're saying he needed a shoulder op and a knee op from being mullered by Wiki? ? ?

I don't think im the one talking bollox pal, you seem to have mastered it down to a fine art.

Thats the master plan!, some celery cap mischief come to a town near you soon

So he will either stay or go, have you got any more scoops?

After that hit he was forced out of the kiwi WC squad and he ended up having a shoulder reconstruction and knee op.
This HAPPENED so how is it bollox???

I knew Wiki was a hard man, but he must be made of pure steel.

Watch the hit on that well known site!!

yeah that was my next question. I suppose you could have the best backline by a mile in SL then employ u18's in your front row..

It isn't but that was towards the back end of last season with an off season inbetween to recover.

How much time did Soliola miss at the start of the current NRL season? Was it more or less than Webb missed over here in similar circumstances?

Or Buderus for that matter?

There is a difference between rehabbing an injured player who is already on the books and signing one while they're carrying an injury which will require surgery though surely?

Hindsight may show that he would have been OK for this season, but at the time it may have seemed an overly risky investment.

For Saints signing him next year the situation is different as at the time of signing he is fit and healthy.

He's saying he was mullered by Wiki and subsequently needed a shoulder op and a knee op. Whether the latter flow from the former is beside the point. The point (see above) is that it is alleged that Leeds didn't sign him because he had injuries requiring surgery, whereas Saints made their move at a time when he was recovered, fit and back playing. Two very different situations, and I'm surprised that you and Euroboy are being so twitchy about it. Nobody's saying you haven't made a good signing, so you could probably afford to cool your jets a little bit.

I considered Buderus but the fact he played in Leeds second game of the season knocked that idea on the head. His knee injury was only discovered (apparently) in his fourty or so minutes V Wakefield.




Yes there is a difference. I'd still expect Leeds to take a longer term view over a player's current injuries with a good medical assesment.



Accepted that hindsight is a wonderful thing but in this case has reality played out any differently to the medical expectation?



Quite, so disappointing Leeds were unable to make this blinding capture for themselves for 2010. That said he's a left centre so Leeds' move for 2009 with Senior still under contract would have likely as not seen him used elsewhere.

It doesnt take a dumb a55 to note that

a) Leeds get quite a few thousend more per game then Saints at £18 3,000 more for instance is £54,000 per game.

b) bigger fan base = more replica gear lets say we sell 3,000 more shirts per season too thats £120,000

Thats just 2 examples i've come up with.

Leeds Rugby LTD generate much more then Saints do so where does the money go?

there is hospitality, Cricket revenue when they use the pitch as a car park, money spent behind the bar on matchdays with having bigger crowds.

Saints and Leeds have been on a par recently only this year our development has been poor

so where is all the money going?

I'm just confused by the situation

I really am. We're crying out for a centre and we've let 2 top class one's go to Wigan ans Saints....i'm gobsmacked to be honest, i've just got to beleive they have several other irons in the fire..

I don't know what the medical assessment was pre-surgery, so I couldn't possibly comment.

Whether Leeds could or should have signed him up for 2010 is another question altogether. Perhaps they tried and the player chose Saints.

On the face of it Leeds' turnover will be bigger than that of St Helens and possibly any other competitor out there in SL.

The bottom line is that each and every club can only spend £1.6 million on 1st grade player contracts or whatever the cap is currently set at.

The disappointment to me is that Leeds apparently choose not to spend the full amount that they are allowed to under the present system.

I wouldn't wish Leeds to break the salary cap (not by one penny and not for one second) however anyone can avoid breaking the salary cap if they underspend by thousands. As an accounting exercise that to me is almost as bad as overspending by a similar amount, when it occurs in a season where the squad is lacking in quantity and arguably quality also.

Wouldn't it be fun to have no salary cap for a decade... just to see...

Thats why central park is a supermarket!

The Joker informed me that Leeds would definitely sign him, i'm not trusting him anymore.