Hes the type of player Smith likes "can cover a number of positions " like Olpherts even if he's not very good at any of them.

full circle back to 1990. sign average players on decent money and wonder why we don't win anything.
but hey, we made a final last year so everything's good

He's a better player than Olpherts and in a position we are short in.

So realistically who would we like to sign? Id love us to go all out for Croft but I actually think he'll be in the NRL within a year, we can throw as much money as we want at Salford but if the player doesn't want to come because they want to go to the NRL there isn't much you can do.

So who else?

Your comment about young players is also a rumour not a provable fact. I understand he club require the younger players to insure themselves against injury - given how little these players earn if that is the case its an insult and no wonder all that the best players in that sparkling team at Siddle all went elsewhere.

What is a fact is that despite all the success that team brought the club and financial rewards with it the club consistently paid its best players less than they could earn at other clubs.

Danny McGuire was offered a one year extension and was told he wouldn't be playing in the first team and he would used to butter up corporate clients on matchdays - that is why he left - fact.

Stevie Ward and his charity is helping a close family friend who had a promising RU career halted through concussion. Anyone who speaks to him he will tell you how he was treated by GH. That doesn't show the club in great light. On Tetevano surely he would have been treated as anyone else would have been on NHS - Leeds would have organised an ambulance from Kirkstall to LGI!!

The club do great stuff off the field but regarding the playing side as the saying goes "something is seriously wrong in the state of Denmark"

Spot on, in those days along with my family I used to attend most games home and away. Then came along the golden generation, for me after watching some of the dross it was manna from heaven. Highly unlikely due to salary cap and the strength of the Australian game we could ever replicate that team. However at the moment we seem a long way from assembling any sort of squad to challenge for honours. Looking at saints after the Cunningham debacle they have done remarkably well to rebuild. Also Catalan always seem to pick up decent players and this season look like winning something. In recent years all we have at witnessed at the club is a succession of sub standard coaches and overhyped and useless players.

If the answer is Cust , then my next answer is "No I will not be buying a season ticket"

Hanley, Goulding and O'Neill were hardly average players!

Although Goulding's alleged antics at Headingley were worse than Austin's

On the other side of the coin I give you John Gallagher and Richie Ayres.

Just out the time frame let’s not forget the immortal Sam Backo. However we have signed some brilliant players so it’s not all doom and gloom. It’s in recent times we have fallen by the wayside.

I have to say the game against Leigh yesterday was the most gutless match I have watched at Headingley for a number of years. The Leeds players seem totally disinterested, Leigh players must have been keeping an eye on not getting sent off or injured and missing out on CC final but Leeds never tried to increase intensity

Smith delivers an after match review that quite frankly I think must have been written a few weeks ago as it had no reflection on the appalling spectacle the fans were delivered. I truly believe Smith has no idea how to coach or motivate a team and it’s about time he joined Powell and Last in the tried but failed club.

Final point. Marcus Griffiths. Can we be supplied a copy of the rules he works to because they are very different to the standard ones.

Disappointing as it was, there was no lack of effort (IMO) watching on Sky. Leeds desperately lacked players in key positions to cut through, and Leigh defended very well on the whole. I don't see how it was Smith's fault on this occasion.

Smith alluded to several players being ill // carrying knocks as well. We are probably closer to the bare bones than a lot of fans think.

Slammin Sam was rated as the best prop in the world when we signed him, yes he didn’t really perform for us but he was a very high quality signing.

People keep saying we are signing on the cheap, but we are paying full cap, and since 2015 we gave signed big money Nrl international players, pike Galloway Merrin, both Kangaroos
Lolahea, Hurrell, Tetavano, these are all big guilty players in paper who all for various reasons were poor signings or at best inconsistent. Segayaro
That before we get to Austan Sezar Fusitua in current squad.

We have splashed the Cash on highly rated players, but they gave been let downs

Therein lies the problem - the inability to recruit players who will enhance the squad especially from the NRL. It seems to me we are unable to get the better players and we have to overpay to get anybody to come to Leeds

Wonder if this is related to Leeds dropping out of the reserves game with Wigan tonight.

Whilst I’m not one to call for the heads of GH or RS, I do think they need to answer why we’ve given up on this season.

I don't think either have said that. If they were throwing in the kids, as many have advocated, it would be a sure sign that was the case. I think the fanbase, by and large, has given up on the season. Probably an accurate assessment.

They’ve released two of the highest profile players, in two crucial spine positions, and recruited nobody. If that’s not giving up , don’t know what is….

They didn’t really much time to replace Austin with anyone of any quality. Would you have wanted to be stuck with an average player on a contract just to replace Austin?

Chris - the club knew the potential issues with Austin and his contract renewal - their inactivity is yet another example of the malaise at the club - unless of course it was a way of removing a problem employee. Given the season at best will end round 1 of the play offs there is no point in further recruitment.

Knowing the potential issues and then Austin asking to leave 1 day before the transfer window closes is a totally separate thing.

Now you can believe him and RS or not but they said it came out of the blue, the club may well have factored him leaving at the end of the year but as I say not one day before the transfer window closed, or Myler getting a season ending injury.

who says he asked to leave?

I get the Myler thing - there is no way you can legislate for that - GH is a very experienced manager who should have seen this coming - I get the notice bit. It is not as if a release hasn't happened before and recently.

I am not one of those who thinks we should have had a replacement - knee jerk is never a good solution. But for any employee in any firm to want a release at such short notice suggets all is not well or GH was hoping for this outcome.

Even if Austin asked for a release, we didn’t need to grant it and let him leave with no replacement, that’s the odd thing and makes me think there’s more to it than simply asking to be released.

I agree, we should have sat him down and got him back onside and to see out the remainder of his deal... why did he need to go to Cas with a few games left because we couldn't confirm his retention or otherwise ?? it makes no sense.... he could have sorted a new deal out elsewhere whilst still playing his contract out for us.

Mustve been something that changed I agree. One minute we are looking to extend, next minute he's out the door.
Smells like we were dragging our heels as we potentially had / have someone lined up and we didnt want to keep Blake once this was confirmed. ATEOTD hes coming up on his last contract so probably wanted a more lengthy one than we wanted to offer or Rohan wanted to add someone else.